PPGD: The Chronometal Wars
by Birdofterror
Summary: (Story 1 in the Chronometal Universe) "Tragedy is the only Certainty." - Otto Osworth. He once said those words to an old friend. He's not wrong. The story opens up with a dead world, and Time Squad has gone silent. No one knows why, and Otto himself doesn't even know it's gone silent.
1. Chapter 1: Fresh eyes upon an old world

**Credit Note:** _The use of the world and several of the characters in this story are credited to Bleedman. The essential concept of the story is my own work, but the character Bell, as well as other one-off characters are credited to him. The use of a future character (spoilers) is credited to Griddles. The use of Mekel (and whoever may or may not be related to him) is credited to Eclipse02.  
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Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chapter One: Fresh eyes upon an old world.

The sound of machinery clicks, whirs and beeps in the background... Not a soul in sight, though this area is suited to such a defiant existence. Primitive robots tend to the essential upkeep of the machinery here, however dust is in layers in areas. It is not cold, despite the shaded iron and steel that makes this area... some might even call it cozy.

Dust still dances in the air as unfamiliar sounds are heard echoing the corridors of iron. A long, loud and invasive siren has been going off the last 30 or so seconds with the words: "TIME MINUS 30 SECONDS UNTIL REVIVAL" splayed across a computer monitor. The robots respond with an electric pace; clearing the immediate area of rubble and debris.

"TIME MINUS 20 SECONDS UNTIL REVIVAL."

"TEN... NINE... EIGHT..." The computer talking with voiceless words, addressing no flesh that would interpret it, only robots that need not read to understand the situation:

...She is awakening...

"ONE... REVIVAL COMMENCING." Steam shoots out of a cylindrical machine and gears twist and crack. The robots are watching, scanning... making sure all is fine for her arrival, they have been waiting oh so patiently. A thick greenish blue liquid inside the machine, visible only a couple inches in bubbles and drains...

"STANDBY..." The liquid continues to drain, the person inside now barely visible from the top of the cranium. This machine, probably the only one not in disrepair performs its one and only job under the constant surveillance of metal beings... their only job: maintaining this machine and making sure the being inside is awakened at this- exact time.

"DRAINING COMPLETE... OPENING TANK... STANDBY..." A gust of pressurized air fires out as the machine barely opens its protective walls of glass. The being inside, supported by arm clasps and life support tubes, begins to shudder and shiver. The robots eagerly awaiting, scanning her... ready and waiting to obey her every command.

"INITIATE WAKING SEQUENCE..." A short jolt fires from one of the life support tubes, waking the girl with a sharp yelp...! "... Ugh... ..." Her eyes slowly open, hazily she makes out the room... Robots, dust, metal and a main computer section. Her chest slowly starts to rise and fall, she struggles to breathe as she comes into sync with the rest of the world... she has been asleep a long time.

The arm clasps open and the tubes disconnect as the surprised girl falls to the ground with a mild thump. On her knees she slowly stumbles to her feet with the help of one of the robots. Her eyes now fully attuned to the mild lighting of this steel labyrinth look around curiously; yet sleepily.

She sees a monitor, with the words 'Open file A' splayed across it with fuzzy, barely legible words. She slowly stands and nears the monitor doing her best to stay balanced before she can lean on it as she presses a button to open the file while still half conscious.

As she opens the file, a static voice of a young man barely crackles through.

"Good morning. I'm sure you are confused as to what has happened to you and why this is happening. But please bear with me, as I can only tell you so much without overloading your still waking and fragile mind. However I can tell you more on another console. Make your way to corridor B-2... you may want to be dressed for this occasion. Your clothing is present in B-2..."

The girl fumbles, unaware that she is completely exposed and she darts her eyes around the barely lit room. The robots merely stand there awaiting her every action with piercing eyes.

"Oh and before I forget... there's something I have to tell you. You may not understand this now- and that's okay, you will later... I'm... I'm sorry about the way I treated you before... before all of this happened."

She looks back to the monitor, it now lays dormant with no words across its face.

She slowly turns back and begins to walk down the vast halls. Her bare feet slapping against the dust covered ground echoing endlessly. The fine dusty wind breaking through the cracks in the walls sticking to her still wet body remind her that this area- regardless of the breeze and her lack of clothing is not at all cold.

It is actually quite comfortable. She looks up and around, disrepair in every location she can possibly see, cracks and gashes in the walls and ceilings... most of which looks like it could come crashing down at any moment. Yet, there are no heaters; no air conditioners and the metallic walls are warm to the touch... as if the entire world is in a warm bath.

She constantly looks back at the robots following her and scanning her with their eyes. At first she is disgusted by the annoying little things, but as the minutes go by she learns to ignore them, knowing they are here for a simple reason. For her. Yet that simple reason remains questionable to her; because she still does not know who she is, nor why she is important.

She makes her way to the storage rooms, with low power neon lights saying A-1, B-1, C-1 and continuing until it reaches the index and loops. It will take quite some time to walk down this hall to reach B-2. But she doesn't seem to mind... time to think is all she needs.

"Who am I, what am I doing here? What is this place?" She constantly asks herself. "TH-S –S TH- M-STE-S LAB..." One of the robots surprisingly crackles out with barely understandable words. "Who's lab?" She asks, curious all the while still walking down the hall.

"DEX-" It tries to say before it crackles out *File corrupted.* She is not surprised. As she looks around, noticing every storage room in great disrepair, rubble trickling down from the ceiling as if it were rain, it is enough that the robots can simply move anymore, let alone talk.

She reaches a room slightly different than the others, the neo light much brighter than the previous rooms.

B-2.

She enters the room and immediately notices large guns positioned at each side of the room. Seemingly inactive, but surprising and startling none the less. She notices a clothing locker off to the side of the monitor saying "Open File B" and goes for the locker first.

She dodges several piles of rocks around the room. They seem out of place, as the rest of the room seems in pretty decent repair, but she ignores them and approaches the locker.

She opens it up swiftly with optimism crossing her figure, but it is empty. Completely empty. She looks back at the robots still scanning her every movement and lets out a small sigh. She closes the locker and accesses the file.

"It's good that you made it here. Should you listen this well in the near future, you may learn a lot more. That said, you may have already noticed several things about this room. The lack of clothing for one and the piles of rocks for two. Both have explanations but I will start with your clothing."

As the young man's voice continues, she is certain she has seen these words and heard this voice before.

"The locker is empty, but your clothes are in this room. To ensure that they were not stolen by scavengers, I placed a small lockbox beneath the Moveable Locker. It will easily move from its socket. I will give you some time to do this before continuing."

More than happy to oblige the computer, she moves the locker from its socket easily and sees a small box underneath. She quickly grabs it and opens it up. There is an entire set of clothing, from upper to under; they all seem to share several characteristics. They are all reddish pink.

She quickly slips them on, relived to finally be clothed and looks at herself in a broken mirror off the side of the room. It suits her naturally long, red hair. She returns to the monitor as it continues.

"The rocks around the room also share a lot of significance. As I will demonstrate." After those words are said, one of the robots behind her begins to approach one of the rock piles and remove the stones.

One stone, then another... and another- until she notices something ghastly! An entire human skeleton in brown rags is buried under the stones! Confused as to why this is, she turns back to the monitor.

"They were scavengers. Looking for anything that may improve their quality of life by picking at ruins. But my lab is important, YOU are important. I couldn't have them damage or endanger you or anything close to you. It was their life or yours... I made the decision quick and would make it again. There are a few things left to tell you, so access file C when you are ready."

Trying hard to absorb all of this information at once is hard, so she looks back to a final piece of clothing in the box, one she seemed to avoid.

It is a red bow. Something tells her it would suit her well, but it just seems to... put her off from it. She can vaguely remember wearing it, but she discarded it at some time. As to why, she does not know. She puts the box down and sighs. She turns over to the monitor with the words 'Open File C' splaying across it in fine, bright letters.

She turns to it with determination and some other major emotion crossing her face! She must know what happened here!

After she accesses File C, the young male voice speaks again: "The Chronometal war did not end well, as you can see as it left this world the way it is- oh wait... I didn't remind you of the war yet, did I? This is awkward... I should have planned this better. Oh well, the data storage is very limited so I'm going to go with it." She scratches her head, trying to remember any "war"... but all that comes up are rocks, her mind is completely blank...

"Roughly 40 to 50 years ago, you and I found something we eventually ended up calling Chronometals... Mine, labeled Model D, yours; Model B. These metals warped to our bodies' shape and did what our arms and legs would normally do, with much stronger results. There was another Chronometal, known as Model 'M' and I shall get to that later. But after-"

A piece of debris falls from the ceiling and crashes into the monitor, knocking the girl back and destroying the computer. The robots quickly help her up and try to repair what's left of the computer- but it's no use; the damage is too extensive and the spare parts left cannot be melded to the metal hull.

She stands, mouth agape... the monitor was not even a foot away from her and there was no stopping the ceiling from crumbling further once it fell, she could have been crushed! As she slowly regains her composure, she hears a... familiar voice.

"Why, fancy meeting you here!" The voice is playful and drawn out, yet heavily devious with a hint of malice. "Would you mind leaving the room and meeting me face to face?" The very voice sends shivers down the girl's spine... and every instinct in her body is telling her not to approach the voice, but instead locate any possible escape route in case things go wrong... She darts her eyes across the room, but there is only one way out... and only one way- in.

The voice is a lot less drawn out and filled with frustration- "Don't be scared little girl, I won't bite! Now come out!" After a short time the voice returns to 'normal': "Fine, if you won't come out, maybe I'll come in! Hahaha..." The girl feels a small tap on her shoulder and her stomach drops...!

She stands in one place, guard set, but in the wrong direction; she cannot find the strength to turn around, he is there. But somehow through her paralysis she musters the nerve!

She rushes in a sharp 180 degree angle to find none other than, dust... nothing was behind her; she lets out a long breath, spent from shear terror and checks her heartbeat...

"NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN, GIRL!" She rushes back again, this time she sees a 'man' so to speak... Red skinned, pincer hands and a very bad fashion sense. He has a pincer to the right of her neck, the other snipping the air deviously. She stares blankly at him, being extra careful not to tick him off... "Oh, it seems I could have ended you right there, but why are you still here I wonder?" He retracts his claw, backs off slightly, crosses his arms and looks our hero in the eyes with a dark smirk across his face.

After a short duel of silent wills she breaks the silence: "Who... who are y-you?" He looked almost insulted and responded with "Well I suppose it can't be helped, but before I answer your oh so obvious question... who do you think YOU are, hmmmmmm?" The girl pauses for a moment and answers slowly; "I... don't know yet... d-do you?" - "Yes, yes I do..." Emotions conflict within the girl, she naturally fears this 'man' but he knows her... she has no choice but to indulge him:

She stares back into his eyes waiting for him to continue, but he will not. "W-well... who am I?" - "Oh come now, search in that little brain of yours, I'm sure something will, blossom if you think about it hard enough! Haha..." she responds sharply: "What do you mean? Wait...?"

She pauses for a while, lost in thought and piecing words together that sound familiar... He quickly breaks her concentration "You may call me- Him, little girl, as you oh so loved to yourself." She looks up with a great deal of confusion in her eyes and says while squinting: "Him? Your name is Him?" - "I have many, many names. none of which are important as of now. Just call me Him, it has a nice ring to it anyhow... haha..."

"Alright, Him... Why are my emotions battling each other at the mere sight of you and why do you know more about me than I do?" Him flies up and sits on the floating dust as if it were a chair, spinning in it slightly, causing dust to collide with her reddish dress as he playfully explains. "Well, we have a long history that blossomed from a certain event- in a certain town. One thing led to another and you moved away leaving lonesome me back in the gutters... and a 'little' boy wanted me to give you something..."

All the while, spinning in a chair that doesn't seem to exist he pulls out a small, radar looking wrist accessory and watches her as it spins on his pincer, in the opposite direction his chair is spinning it in, giving the illusion that it is stationary even as he spins around it. "This nifty little device will allow you to have control over time and space, to an extent... a friend of the author of the messages you recently heard wanted me to give you this..." He extends it in her direction...

She reaches for it but its quickly snatched away and he continues: "ONLY after you knew who you are, why you are here and what to do with this device... the computer was crushed while giving out information- thus meaning I cannot give this to you, just yet...!" He straightens out and looks her in the eyes once more and says flat and plain- "Let's not beat around the bush, do you know who you are yet or not? If not I have something in mind..." He grins slightly, but it seems more innocent than his other facial expressions.

She stands there, muttering words under her breath. "B... blo...? It sounds so, familiar. It is on the tip of her tongue, she has no idea what the word she is trying to spit up is, but it feels so right. She takes a deep breath and pieces familiar pieces of word together- "Bl... oss... om?" As that name leaves her lips, she feels deep warmth within her, as if she had just remembered who she was...

Him looks somewhat surprised, but the expression is soon murdered with an eerie smile. "Ah... always the smart one eh? Yes. Your name is none other than, Blossom..." He extends the device once more, Blossom smiles as she reaches for it- only to have it snatched away again.

"But do you know your mission? Why you are here? Why he put you in that Chamber!?" He yells out! Blossom responds with a rather neutral tone of voice. "Well the world was ended by the Chronometal wars was it not? That and the person who put me here told me the world needs me. Would it happen to do with that perhaps?"

"Tch... you are learning far too fast, you're not making this fun, Blossom... but it's all to be expected, that mind of yours beat me far too many times for me to be comfortable with... but I suppose that why he chose you despite the numerous and incredibly deep problems..." He puts the device on the 'chair' and flutters back down. He walks towards Blossom, until he catches sight of one of the robots. He quickly smashes it with his foot and returns sight to Blossom with a slightly happier face.

"You may have a very hollow idea of what you think you have to do now, but you have no details and you do not have any idea of where to go with this device... I wish I didn't break that computer right now so I wouldn't have to go through so much damn time, EXPLAINING it! I wanted to make it a game: I even have a Twister mat and Parcheesi board somewhere around here... but it can't be helped..." He scoffed and waved his pincers around...

"YOU BROKE THE COM-" Blossom tried to say before she noticed she wasn't in the lab anymore. "-PUTER?! ... Eh?"

She's floating above the clouds and is slowly floating down. The sky was bluish, not the gray and brown she viewed from inside the Lab. As she passes the clouds she feels the cold mist, it is soothing... and she feels almost at peace- were it not for everything making no sense and the world being destroyed she might of even taken a nap at that very moment...but once she passes the final layer of white misty fluff and opens her eyes, she notices a horrendous sight indeed and all positive feeling was gone faster than it could of ever hoped to come.

A large meteor-like mass of stone is floating just above the surface of a major city, but not just any city- it was a city she feels a very strong connection to! Lightning is shooting out from it and massive winds circle its great ring. A robot standing on top... She continued floating down until she was on equal footing with the robot on the top of this awesome mass.

Merely standing upon this great mass forces emotions of dread, betrayal, pain and anger to pierce her heart and she nearly collapses on the spot. But she must push forward!

When she landed on the large meteor, it noticed her, but It makes no other mention of her. It then turned to look off the edge, almost sorrowful. Spikes suddenly shoot out of 4 areas around the shoulders of the robot and formed what looked like wing bones. The bones electrify and shoot out forming what look like real wings... one red, one green, one purple and one blue... It growls as it stepped even further towards the edge... its massive feet crushed the thick stone as it walked- its large, wrecked arms still at its side. Blossom followed, deadly curious.

It now stands on the edge of the Meteor, the winds and lightning still furiously twisting around the crust- if not now more furiously. It kneels down by the edge and mutters under itself: "Why did she do that? He was going to come back, but he didn't want to! He's dead, very very dead; he died more than the normal man should! He told me he never wanted to come back and to protect her from everything! But... she... HE...!" The lighting now covers the entire stone- violently churning in all directions. "He came back, why...? Me, he wanted me to suffer... all because of- what HE DID! It wasn't my fault! It... Wasn't..."

The robot's protective face plate falls onto the meteor and bounces off, falling endlessly, revealing a young man of white skin and reddish brown hair. "Blossom, I wish you were here right now- I need you. I mean why did she... but- we were on the same side... weren't we? I was even going to help her brother! Ha... Haha... HAHAHAHA!" It stood up and spread its arms to both sides, eying them as if his own arms were foreign objects: rage, madness and sadness in his eyes it grits its teeth as it claws at itself, trying in vain to tear its own Ivory-white armor off! The winds now so strong the meteor itself is ripping to pieces at the seems!

"Mandark! You got what you wanted! I might as well be dead now! She's gone! There is nothing left! You were right, there was no hope for our future... you were always right! It was my fault! IT WAS ALL MY FAULT! IT WAS ALWAYS MY FAULT! I FEEL YOUR GOD-FORSAKEN PAIN!"

The robot collapses to its knees, breaking stone on impact and his face breaks into tears... can robots really cry? Then the meteor enters a free-falling state, Lightning, wind and dust all ripping it to pieces as it drops... Terrible noises of wind rushing up as the Mass crashes downwards slicing rock to pieces is almost deafening, but Blossom can barely make some noises out.

Two girls, wearing brown and blue dresses that looked exactly like hers are on both sides of the meteor... "Buttercup, we have to leave- now! Or we will all be crushed too!" - "NO! Blossom is in there, you go and I will try to stop this!" - "But, but you can't! You know you ca-" - "GO BUBBLES, NOW!" The blue girl hesitantly flies off, constantly stopping and looking back with shining dew in her wake, the brown one has tears growing in her eyes- adamantly staying, despite the obvious doom she faces. "Blossom... I'm... sorry, I... I wasn't strong... enough..." Blossom flies off and rushes to the girl as fast as she could!

The girl notices her and her eyes grow wide! "Oh my god... Blossom? Is that really you?! But... you-" The meteor starts crushing the buildings, blowing dust and deafening noise all around them as all sight of the girl fades-

Blossom finds herself in the lab, looking into Him's eyes... "What you have seen, was the end of what was to be called, The Chronometal wars, or even The Apocalypse to some. Do you now know why you are here and the importance of your Mission?"

Was it all real? She was unable to save the brown clothed girl she felt a strange connection to. A tear formed in Blossom's eye and falls...

"Who, what... was that robot on the meteor talking about... a-about me? Blossom...?" Him merely turns around and floats just above the ground- "Perhaps... Perhaps not..." The tear falls to the floor, making no noise as it gets trapped in a stray layer of dust. "Come on! I'm in no mood for games! I just died!" Him quickly and sharply turns his head to meet Blossom's words. "If you were dead, you wouldn't be here! Think leader girl, think!"

"L...Leader girl?" She lets out carefully. "Those two girls you saw, they were of you... your sisters. You were lost that day, one of the only... 'Survivors' of the Crash. You were the leader." Blossom's eyes meet the ground as she slowly lets out her next question. "Did... did the blue one survive?" Him now completely turns around and meets her back on the ground and lets off an almost sympathetic aura. "Yes, she survived the crash, but unlike you, without the protection of the lab and remaining incapacitated- the world proved... too much for her; she had the ability to survive, but her will to live was crushed..."

He continues: "She had lost both of her sisters and wandered around aimlessly looking for the kin she refused to accept were dead. Not even I, her sworn enemy wanted her to go like this, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone... no fun at all." Him eyes the floor, drawing deep from memory. "She tried really hard to hold on, a foggy idea of a family burned into her scarred mind kept her going, but then she found... Buttercup."

After mentioning Buttercup, Him pauses for a second, carefully choosing words; before dismissing the whole thing entirely as he avoids further answers...

Him scoffs and lets out a small sigh, projecting an aura of what feels like regret... "I can no longer play with you, you know too much for me to have fun anymore so I might as well be direct. This was meant to happen-" Blossom's head rises up to meet Him's. "But, he did not wish it so... he found the means- and sent you here for the most of the aftermath, hoping that you would find a way to fight destiny." - "W...who?"

"Dexter..." Blossom's head throbbed, what the man in the speakers said was true- Her memories... though most of them incomplete, were returning. She had made an event unfold with her own hands- "Ah...!" She huffed through clenched teeth! The pain, not too great- but filled with so much emotion quickly overwhelms Blossom...

She dropped to her knees and fell to the ground but not with a loud thump, the dust breaking her fall and waving out...

She dreamed... of rocks... She was laying under rocks, (Rocks...) not moving... not breathing (More rocks, all I can remember are rocks...) ... She feels tremors and hears the crashing of thunder and lightning even through her stone prison... "Mandark... you got... she's go... now... I have no... ... I feel... your... ... pain...!" Nearly an eternity goes by, Blossom feeling pain she has never felt before, unable to breathe... unable to move. "Buttercup... ... or we will... crushed too...!"

She feels something penetrating her chest, one of the many stones are impaling her...!

The stones rise up, as gravity seems to escape... They were falling, she notices a small opening and summons all her remaining energy to crawl through it during the weightless sensation. She looks around the room, noticing shattered machinery and even her beloved Model B lies before her, broken beyond all repair and recognition... her eyes constantly fade in and out of focus as everything becomes blurry and focused within the same second.

She then sees a young woman, black hair... pig tails and a deep scar going down her face... looking up a wrecked staircase at the sky, giving off a seemingly lifeless aura, as if it were a standing cadaver. Blossom lets out a small breathless peep... "As... tro... nom... o... nov... ... why...?!" She collapses as gravity returns with the horrible noise of the city being crushed like a tin can as the stones fall and crush her alive! Dust from the outside rushes in faster than even she can see, blocking all hope of ever breathing again. She wakes up with a quick and deep gasp!

She looks around her surroundings in fright, all the while hyperventilating seeing only Him... "D... did you do that... th-thing to me again...?" - "No, I did not..." He explains. "They were your memories, your, original memories." She gets off her back and sits cross-legged- regaining what was left of her stone-crushed composure. "This is all, so crazy... so I'm, Blossom... and... Dexter saved me?"

"Well not exactly-" He exclaims- "He gave you life when you no longer had any- but your will was so strong that you never really died, you held on to the last moment... He found you there- in the stony halls and brought what was left of you here." - "So he did save me?" - "It was too late for you... well, for your body."

"My body?" Blossom looks at her hands, her long hair, legs- chest... Nothing seemed out of place, yet how would she truly know... "Dexter used what little resources he had to make you a new body... he knew a lot more than he wanted to know about bionics. Your brain was still alive by the time he returned you to the lab, but even the bionic machinery takes time to adapt to a new host brain, so he put you in what you woke up in. Though even that device took a very long time to find, but new memories even HE acquired made it barely possible to save your brain."

Blossom shudders... "Ew, brain?" She pokes her head, gauging it... "Oww..." - "This body of yours is almost perfect; it can eat, digest, feel pain, cry... and host a soul." Blossom stands up and looks curiously into Him's eyes. "Host a soul?" Somehow the word 'soul' reminded her of the nice sister she had... Bubbles. "Wait, you said you were an enemy to the blue girl- er, Bubbles... and that I beat you more than you liked me to... were you one to me? An enemy?"

Him paces the room slowly never truly making eye contact. "Yes, yes I was." - "Then why are you helping me? Enemies don't do that!" Blossom says flustered, now becoming uncomfortable with his presence. He continues to walk... "Let's just say, your other sister made me an offer I couldn't refuse..." - "My other sister? You mean the brown one- Buttercup? I thought she... died- with... my body. If she set up a deal, how would she or you be able to repay it?!"

Still pacing the room, as if he expects the conversation to last a much longer time- "Buttercup, where do I start with that girl...? Right after the final of the two wars started, Buttercup was- well, jealous of your new-found power..." Blossom's eyes widen, as if she almost forgot something very important. "Model B... my- Chronometal... Right?" Him lets out a small chuckle... "Yes, your Chronometal made you more powerful than her- it made her very proud... and angry- quite the pool of emotion that one, haha..."

"During the second wars, you and Dexter fought side by side- protecting each other with your lives. Buttercup, even as a superhero could not even dream of possessing your new power... The villains she so eagerly fought were getting stronger and more ruthless, even one time holding Bubbles hostage with, a very violent chemical at their dispense... I can barely remember how she got her out of it." Him stops and shakes his head side to side.

"But I'm starting to ramble, they are dead now, you are left and you must save everyone for your own sake." He picks up the device- still floating in mid-air and throws it in Blossom's direction. She detects another trap and does not reach for it- and it ends up hitting her in the face.

"Oww! Damn it!" She exclaimed. "Why didn't you catch it? Haha!" She rubs her face with one hand, picking up the device with the other. "So... how does it work?" - "Well, why don't you try it out?" She glares at Him... "How am I supposed to know this is safe? That your not just playing another trick?" He glares back. "I promised Buttercup to keep your soul safe until you save this world and I will. I am evil, but fair." - "Buttercup? My soul? Save the world? ... Alright..."

She attaches the device to her wrist, it's a little loose, being slightly too large for her, but she tightens it and focuses on the data inside. Among the controls and logs, she sights a calendar. 2058 MEGAVILLE (CURRENT)"

"Is today... 2058 Him?" He leans up against a wall- clearly bored. "Yes, it is the year 2058, 50 or so years after you all... failed and the world went to hell..." He breaks a small smile as if reciting from a good memory- "Ah, they needed the Powerpuff Girls so much... But they waited for nothing; the world was over... But they refused to give up- clinging to denial. Did you know they even tried to RECREATE you? How rich!"

"Spare me the details- I'm going to fix all of this!" She fiddles with the device, setting it to 2010, the date the Chronometal wars ended and everything ended. "Wait, what do you think you are doing little girl?!" She faces him, goes into a battle stance and says- "Fixing all this!" She presses accept as him tries to physically stop her... But it was too late.

... ... She hears heartbeats and opens her eyes... she is traveling through a dark quick tube of light... She feels she could... wake up at any moment... Along the flowing walls of light she notices her surroundings, it is hard to make out, due to how bright it is... but she is definitely at the meteor, but then the light becomes blinding as she falls to the ground.

*THUD* ... She opens her eyes, looking into Him's. "What did I say little girl, do you understand nothing?!" He looks as if he is going to strike her, but instead picks her up at the shoulders and grits his teeth. "What happened?" She lets out- confused. "You can only go where you know your soul belongs! You don't belong in that time! ... Not yet anyway, Dexter said to listen- SO LISTEN!"

He drops her to her feet and backs off slightly. "In order for you to save this time, you must understand EXACTLY what happened during 2010- the Chronometal war's end, not just jumping into it and killing the first person you see and saying, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" He eyes her and then thinks something up really quick. "Do you even remember your own father?" The question catches Blossom off guard.

She seems to be locked in deep thought... she digs deep into her memories, pulling out sounds of her youth...

"Girls, oh girls! Come here! Pancakes are ready!"

Blossom remembers a man, serving her... breakfast... but- can't remember much past that... she mutters out- "The professor?" Him once again looks unsurprised. "Wrong..." Blossom staggers a bit before asking- "What? Then who-" - "You never had a real father, your not even human! You were never born and you never had a father! HA!" Blossom's teeth grit and her eyes narrow as she yells out- "HE WAS MY FATHER! He cared for us all... When we were sick... When we were injured- he fed us, nurtured us... as any normal father would!" Blossom lashes out at Him with her fist, but he quickly reflects it, making her spin slightly in place before regaining her balance.

Him laughs, very pleased! "Ha! This is too rich, even when I say no, you say yes! Even when I hold all of the cards and I know everything that happened! That was almost scary, it's as if the real Blossom is right here! Dexter did a good job with your head, I must admit. You indeed know enough about yourself to go back to 2004." Blossom huffs, regaining emotional control...

"2004? What's there anyway?" She asks. "The moment of fate, you moving to Megaville and meeting Dexter for the first time." - "Megaville..." The sound brings back more emotion filled throbs to her head as she tries to nurse it. "Oh, don't pass out again girl, here... let me do it for you... Goodbye for now Blossom... we WILL meet again!"

Him presses a button as Blossom's vision goes blurry- and she finds herself in the Light tube again... Her heart beats, it is the only thing she can hear, she feels so sleepy, but her eyes are wide open, absorbing the bright darkness, the back-round, now much longer than before begins to churn around her as she leaves her shell... she is no longer human, though even as a Powerpuff she wasn't really human... and even after that she wasn't even a Powerpuff, she was a robot... she truly remembers nothing of herself. She can faintly see outside the tube again... this time it seems to be a classroom, all her sisters are there and the professor has just left...

Some time passes and the light fades away and she feels herself, in a new body... eyes still closed. She awakens to laughter, all the while standing in place. "How cute, you even have your own club, the Flowerpuff Girls" - "That's Powerpuff..." The blue one, Bubbles let out. - "Oh- alright, Powderpuff." - "Now why don't you girls take your seats and we'll get started. I just know you're all going to like it here."

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup walk down the class, taking individual seats. Blossom takes a seat by the window... looking out of it with still half-asleep eyes, lost in thought... This was the time it all started, but she's six years back... can she really stop it- right here? She tries to drown it out and relax...

She has plenty of time... doesn't she?

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Hey guys, Birdofterror here. I originally started out on Snafu-Comics and created this story back in early 2011. I stayed on Snafu for a long time, but after being told by several people to move here, I'm gonna try to update on both sites once I get this story fully booted up onto Fanfiction._

 _Anyway, that was the first chapter. It's been edited probably more than any of my other chapters as my writing style and story elements have both changed over time. The second chapter, in my opinion, is about as close to my original writing style back in 2011 than any of my chapters were due to me not editing that one nearly as severely as this one. I wanted to keep Chapter 2 along the same theme as Bleedman's work as closely as possible, so I didn't leave myself with much to mess up or improve. In a lot of ways that's a good thing, but I certainly take more risks later on in my story. Thanks for reading this far already, there's a lot more where that came from. Leave a review, I'll be sure to respond to it as soon as I see it- and as soon as I get accustomed to of course._


	2. Chapter 2: Enemies of time

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chapter Two: Enemies of Time.

*Blossom eyes her desk, a single book and pencil lay before her. This is indeed Megaville... She looks around- and spots a calendar. February 2004. This is also the right time. Right place and right time- she knows who she is and who some of the people are. She turns her vision to the other girls in the classroom who she once called: 'Sisters.'

*Bubbles, decked in a blue dress-skirt not unlike Blossom's own red one. Him said she survived the wars, only to lose both her will to live and her sanity in the new found wastes she never accepted was home. She was never the brightest, but always the most caring of the sisters- even without 'personally' knowing Bubbles, Blossom feels a warm sensation from her... she is family.

*Buttercup, also wearing the same- yet other-colored dress-skirt was explained by Him as a very proud warrior. Apparently she grows jealous of Blossom's powers in the coming wars and makes a "deal with the devil." Blossom still doesn't know what she had to give up to make such a powerful being accept such a complicated deal, but she would rather not. Her dress is green, not brown- as it was at the crash... Regardless, she too- is family.

Class lets out for recess and Blossom's mind is running faster than it ever had- she knows what's about to happen and without knowing it lets out very small words under her breath. "And... Buttercup wants to: ..." - "What I'd give to kick some butt right about now, what about you Bubbles?" She said and Bubbles timidly responded- "I don't want my butt kicked..." Blossom knows her line- but decides not to say it, instead planning for the more important lines next. Her eyes darting across the grounds.

"Ahem" They hear coming from a young man standing nearby... it's Dexter... "Greetings new classmates. On behalf of all of my friends I would like to express my most sincere apology concerning that little event this morning." Blossom responds quickly. "Yeah, it was no problem; we get that a lot where we are new."

"Oh, well nevertheless I am rather curious about that introduction you had... Is it true that you are what you claim to be...? That you are superheroes?" - "We sure are, you want a demonstration?" Blossom let out: taunting. Dexter raises an eyebrow. "It's almost as if you read my mind, yes I was very curious about it. I've never seen superheroes like you before- and wanted to see what you were made of."

"For you see, I too, am a Superhero." Buttercup gets up and exclaims: "Yeah right, I suppose you can read a book faster than a speeding bullet." Blossom also gets up and turns to Dexter. "Care to show us what you are made of?" Buttercup looks towards Blossom, clearly shocked... but pleased! "Ah, that's what I like to hear, 'Leader Girl'." - "Let's just go easy on em'." Blossom turns back and meets eyes with Bubbles. "C'mon Bubbles, lets do this the way we always do."

Bubbles climbs to her feet and nears the others. "Buttercup- you get the first attack." - "Fine by me, Blossom... -You're about to get a kick out of this four eyes!" Dexter stands there. "Bring it on, sister." Blossom goes into a fighting pose and Buttercup leaps into action reading her body language. "Here's foot in your mouth!" Buttercup- still in mid-air readies a powerful leg attack! "Buttercup get back!"

Buttercup shoots backwards as Dexter pulls out his 'little toy.' A gigantic mech-suit conforming to Dexter's very skeletal structure, however this is not a Chronometal and is instead one of his many inventions. "Hmm, very quick of you, Blossom." He lets out- amused. "What are you, Mojo's fan?" Buttercup yells. "You will refer to me as none other than... Dexter, Boy Genius! Prepare yourself for you are 'all' about to feel the ultimate power, of science!" - "Science schmience- just let me kick your butt so we can finish this!"

"No Buttercup, we finish this as a team!" Blossom exclaimed. "Gather round girls." The others walked into a small dirt circle as Blossom explained strategy. Dexter merely sits there and watches, clearly impatient. "GO!" Blossom lets out as the three girls take off in opposite directions. Blossom and Bubbles seem to be going away and Dexter uses this to take advantage of Buttercup's hole-filled strategy.

"Your efforts... ARE FUTILE!" Dexter grabs Buttercup by the leg and swings her around. "You give up?" He says with a smug smile. - "You ask them!" Before he can even look up his face is driven in by Blossom's foot and is sent flying back! Dexter stumbles to stay balanced as Bubbles shows up from behind to knock him down.

The girls group up and stare down the 'Boy Genius.' "Give up?" Buttercup lets out, almost laughing out loud. Dexter gets to his feet as his machine regains full power once more. "Not on your life!" Blossom merely stands there letting out a small smile, she enjoys time travel a lot, but that's not why she is changing the fight. "Let's do things like we always do!" Blossom says then turns to Bubbles. "...Our way." Bubbles smiles widely.

They all charge at the same time and catch Dexter off guard!  
Bubbles: "One for the money!" As she kicks Dexter in the face!  
Blossom: "Two for the show!" As she elbows Dexter's chin!  
Buttercup: "Three for your bruises!" Booting his forehead backwards!  
"Four to go!" - "Let's finish this!" - "With one final Blow!"

Blossom lets out a large pink beam as Bubbles fires a small energy filled tornado and Buttercup breaks the ground using the pavement itself as a weapon! "My turn!" Dexter yells out as he raises his arms and generates an energy shield! "Now girls!" Blossom yells! At that very moment all the attacks arc upward above Dexter!

"W...what?!"

As the attacks collide above his energy shield and form a white ball of energy! The girls all take off at once and charge towards the ball from mid air. "And four for the encore...!" Blossom lets out as they all kick the ball at once! A large scale explosion takes place where the boy was just standing!

Dust flits in the air as they all await the fate of the boy... eager children gathering around the battle, awaiting his fate.

Dexter's machine merely crawls out of the newly formed crater as Buttercup says- "Oh, you want some more?" - "THAT'S ENOUGH! Enough of this foolishness, all of you." The school's most esteemed teacher, Jack yells to stop the fighting. "Into the school- NOW." Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup and Dexter all follow the teacher into the school... all the while, feeling like they are watched.

As they are following, Blossom feels something else, as if fate itself was being torn asunder at the seems, It is possible that this alone would provide a subtle enough kick to stop the Chronometal wars, but she MUST be sure...

"I am sure you are all aware that fighting in a school is-" - "Uh, Sensei Jack, may I... borrow Blossom for a minute?" A short geeky looking boy says interrupting Jack's discipline. "Humph... Just don't do it again girls, as for you Dexter... I am charging you with giving the others a look around the school grounds: take Courage with you. Sure Otto, she's all yours." Jack walks off leaving Otto staring into Blossom's eyes. They both know why they are here.

-*Some time Later.*-

They walk outside and go behind a tree on the edge of the School grounds. "What the hell do you think you are doing here Blossom?!" Otto yells! "I thought we explained time travel won't solve anything! It's too dangerous!" Blossom sits at the base of the tree and asks-"Otto, tell me... why 'don't' you know why I'm here? Aren't you with time squad and should know any and all abnormalities as they happen?"

Otto's face scrunches up a bit. "When other people use time travel devices mine only tells me that something with this time is offset, I looked around and surely enough the fight Dexter was supposed to win was completely turned around. By you." - "I have my reasons Otto..." Otto growls! "Are they good enough to risk the entire universe!?" - "Probably not, but I will save the world, here and now."

Otto freezes. He checks his device for any cataclysmic event taking place from here to 75 years from now- Blossom's guessed life expectancy and finds nothing. "Very funny, Blossom- but my device doesn't say anything about any 'end of the world'!" Blossom gets up and runs to Otto and grabs his arm. "H-hey!" he lets out. Blossom accesses the time travel cloaking system. "W-What are you doing?!"

The field lets out a small static discharge as the cloaking field is activated; they are in the year 2010. Otto merely stands mouth agape as he sees a giant stone crashing onto the city, Buttercup defiantly staying put under it as Blossom sees herself charging at her, truly an odd feeling... "I think that's enough for one day..." Blossom fidgets with Otto's device once more, as he still stays put gawking at the apocalypse.

(However... during the time it takes to travel from one time to another, Blossom thinks to herself. Why did she see herself chase after Buttercup? Wasn't that just a dream? If not and Him did indeed have the ability of time travel, why rely on such technology?)

They return to their time and Otto falls backwards, supporting himself with his arms as he sits." ... Why wasn't this noted in the device?!" He yells out in a loud yet hushed whisper. "I'm not sure, but apparently some guy from the future gave someone a device I used to get here and it was a friend of Dexter, I think it was you."

Otto covers his forehead with his hand as he tries to pick one of the many questions he wanted to ask. "First off, let's say I 'DID' find that so terrible that I set aside my duties to Time Squad, why would I give you the device anyway?" - "A lot may be lost in translation but some guy in the future gave it to me saying it was from you."

Otto looks up, still eager to know what is going on. "Who?" Blossom pauses for a moment, finding a good way to describe Him... "Well he's red, obviously not human... and talks funny..." Otto cocks his head to the left. "The principal?"

"The principal? Him's the principal?!" Blossom almost yells. "Nice grammar..." Otto scoffs. "N-No that's his name! His name is Him!" Otto's eyes squint. "Mr. Nodacks is who now?"

Blossom's eyes widen as her jaw clenches. "WHAT?!" Otto, obviously frustrated yells out- "The principal's name is Redd Nodacks! Not Him!"

"Can I see him?" Blossom asks. Otto sighs, relieved to be out of that joke of a conversation: "Sure." They both walk up to the building as Otto fidgets with his device. Time freezes and they teleport into the principal's office. Though red and inhuman, it is obviously not the same man she knew before. He was chubby, had an annoying grin- not an eerie one, he had a spiked tail...

And he wore no pants... "Well that's not Him..." Blossom lets out in a sigh. Otto looks to Blossom and asks- "Who exactly were you expecting, is there some other big red guy I don't know about?" - "Well I'm not even sure who he is myself, what with the amnesia and all-" - "AMNESIA?! Are you telling me you went back in time and you don't even fully understand what you're doing?!"

"Well it's not my fault... it all happened when I crawled out of that tube-" - "Holy... are you SERIOUS Blossom? Let me guess, the red guy sweet talked you and here you are with only his word to hold merit?" Blossom looks up and gazes into the time-frozen distance, she walks up to a window and leans into it on both of her hands. "Well, you are not too far off... I came out; I didn't know a thing... I did what the computer told me... then he showed up..."

"It's all really complicated, my memories are there and they are just locked for now... I remember about half of everything... I am Blossom, the wars end the world- causing what you saw... and I can stop it. From what Dexter said, this is his or 'our' fault." Otto nearly falls as he staggers from that comment. "Wait, WAIT! DEXTER?!" Blossom looks over at Otto and raises her hands off the window. "Otto, are you telling me everything... Him, Me, The Apocalypse and Dexter's relation to it are all completely unknown to you?"

Otto shakes his head, apparently losing all composure. "I didn't even know that was going to happen and now Dexter caused it all? And, some red guy sends you- an amnesiac back in time to save the world you don't even remember, with help from future me?" Blossom merely stands there. "That sounds about right and I have a gut feeling it's all true."

Otto sits down in the time frozen office of Mr. Redd Nodacks. He takes off his glasses puts his fingers to his closed eyes as he tries to fight back an enormous headache. "Honestly, I don't know why I didn't report this to Time-Squad right away, but now it turns out I'm involved... So my sloppiness probably saved me from time-erasure..."

He takes his fingers from his eyes, opens them and looks at the blank floor before him. "There's only a couple explanations to this... why something like that happens and I never knew about it..." He looks up to Blossom with inquisitive eyes. "One of which is you are baiting me into an obliterate trap..." Blossom smirks slightly and looks back at Otto. "Trust me Otto, I'm a Powerpuff Girl, if I wanted you hurt- or worse... You wouldn't be here right now; all it would honestly take is a simple wrist movement..." She waves her hand in the air slightly and pauses, remembering Him and where they clashed multiple times.

Townsville... before the beginning of all this...

After that comment Blossom stares into nothing for a little bit... "Are you okay?" Otto lets out confused. "Yeah, I just got an idea." Otto puts his glasses back on and stands up. "Well let's get out of here first." He fidgets with his device a bit and they teleport back to ground level as time returns to normal. "Maybe I can find Him in Townsville..." - "But isn't there something you have to do first?"

Blossom looks into Otto's eyes with a blank expression. "Hmm... OH-" as she lets out that last word an ear splitting scream echoes across the school-grounds!

Buttercup flies off to the source of sound, "Bubbles!" She yells out! Otto stares at Blossom for a while... "Well? Are you gonna go or what?" Blossom eases herself onto the school walls and replies with a smug tone, arms crossed- "Why? Jack's gonna take care of it... I'm gonna go get a soda and tell you my plan after this all passes."

As she starts to walk off she notices a girl standing by a tree, looking up across the school-grounds into the horizon... Blossom's eyes squint, her face looks very familiar... but everything else- the eyes, clothing... hair- are different, as if a polar opposite. She shrugs the idea of reminiscing with someone she probably never even met off and continues.

"Blossom." Blossom stops mid trail, the girl is speaking to her, with also- a very familiar voice. Curious, she looks back and addresses the young lady. "Yeah? Do I know you or something?" - "Not yet, but soon we will be close friends..." She lets out deviously, never breaking her concentration on the horizon, her back still facing Blossom, hands in her dark brown trench-coat, with her long black hair covering it.

Blossom waits for another response from her, but it does not come, she instead moves closer to her, trying to identify what she is looking at. She looks off into the distance and notices a large silhouette on the school rooftops. She then looks back at the girl, who finally breaks her gaze and looks back at Blossom.

Her pupils are ebony, pure black with an innocent yet obviously dangerous and deadly look in her eyes. "She isn't here now, she was though... Only a robot is here to observe the Dread Dragon and its creator..." Blossom doesn't respond she foresees no real answer to her questions. The girl breaks the gaze and walks off, but lets out a small remark. "Leave Otto and do some exploring for yourself... oh and you can find her out back soon, with Mojo."

Blossom shudders... Mojo-Jojo, her once-arch-enemy... She looks back at Otto, before shrugging off her doubts. "Who is she talking about? Otto, I'm checking it out." - "Oh no you don't!" Otto quickly grabs Blossom's leg and pulls her back down. "I've never seen that girl before Blossom..." ... "So?" - "SO, I'm saying she's a time traveler, but not just a time traveler, the time-device didn't even pick her up! That means she might not even be from this Dimension! And she may be baiting you into a trap!" Blossom holds her position for a while and floats up. "Fine, but I just want to see if she's here, I won't interfere."

As she climbs to about 30 feet she sees the golden Dread Dragon fall to its knees, let out a roar and explode in a glorious light, Jack had saved the day when she could not... in the past anyway. She looks around the grounds for any signs of suspicious activity, or even Mojo. And without too much searching, she sees the monkey, now in the Death grip of...

Her...? "What?" Blossom says to herself as she focuses her vision. A little girl, probably no older than 8, with beautiful white locks, a pale-white dress and a deathly grin on her face makes a blast from the past... and not a good one at that.

"Bell... she IS here...!" Blossom looks around anxiously, she sees a Tree on top of a hill... "That's where..." She remembers that before she went back in time, she sat under that tree after learning of Dexter's past and met Bell... "Wait!" she lets out exited. "The lab!" She enters a free-falling state and stops herself a couple inches from the ground, all the while Otto looking right up at her, making sure she doesn't do anything stupid.

"Otto, I have to get into Dexter's Lab, Now!" Otto wears a very tired look on his face, looking into Blossom's eyes with unblinking determination. "You know what I'm about to say... Don't do it Blossom." - "No I mean in the past!" As if Otto couldn't make his face any more absolute he almost pops a blood vessel for wearing such a- 'You know what I'm going to say' face.

"We have to stop Deedee from dying, I think such a different chain of events might stop the world from ending!" Otto's face un-tenses as he starts to think. "Hm..." Just then what seems like a whirlwind hitting her and her skirt from nowhere, causing much dust to hit her fluttering dress, is none other than the Black-haired girl back with almost break-neck speed. "No, don't do that, this time line may still be preserved..." She says simply. The air around her is now much more intense and electrified, her raw energy seeping into the area.

"Maybe coming here was a bad idea..." She finally says and looks at Otto, who looks back with angry eyes. "Who are you and why are you toying with Ti-" He is interrupted with a fist hardly an inch from his face. "Don't worry, I was just leaving..." She retracts her arm, which makes a slightly metallic noise... as if several watches were hitting each other and then flies off at immeasurable speed.

Otto falls to his knees. "It was so fast, I didn't even see the fist move... She could have killed me if she wanted..." Blossom stands by him, Otto looks up disappointed that she didn't try to comfort him- only to see that she too was wearing a shocked look. "I... didn't see it... move either..." Otto's eyes go wide. Her fist moved so fast that a hero as fast and powerful as Blossom couldn't even see it... Who was that girl?

Otto continues to sit on the ground, shocked that not even Blossom could follow the dark girl's fist as it broke the sound barrier and even more so that he had not even heard of her as well. "Why is this happening? I should know everything that happens!" Otto climbs to his feet. "Ugh, well this is not good, I don't have very many options..." Otto reaches into his pocket and takes out what looks like a gun, Blossom jumps back in self defense as he points it at her...

"Whoa! What are you doing!?" Blossom lets out with a mixture of fear and anger in her voice! "Blossom, have you ever heard of the effects of time?" Blossom takes no time to ponder his question and instead remains focused on the weapon in case he should fire it. "The Butterfly Effect, the paradox that occurs when a time traveler tries to fix something that happened and in turn makes it worse in the process. The traveler then tries to fix THAT, only making it more so."

Otto's eyes narrow as he tenses up, showing no signs of hesitation short of actually firing the weapon. "The Pogo Effect, the paradox that occurs when a time traveler tries to fix something, but it turns out by trying to fix it, they cause it!" - "Otto, please, we need to work together! You saw what happens!" Otto retains his position and posture, ready to pull the trigger on the slightest provocation... Blossom is fast, very fast, he can't afford to hesitate if she runs or attacks...

"I have no record of you showing up, I have no record of that ever happening and I have no record of ever giving you a Time Squad device! All I don't have recorded is what time travelers have done, this was all caused by a traveler..." Blossom's eyes tear up, Otto is deadly serious about this decision and she can't talk him out of it...

The air around them grows still and a slight tingling sensation envelopes them: as if an electric storm just appeared from nowhere!

"Why don't you just set the gun down nice and slow now..." The voice comes from beyond the tree... The black-haired girl stands there, now with a completely different wardrobe... she wears a dress-skirt, exactly like Blossoms, only black... dark, unrelenting, Black with only a splash of white on its core. But not even relevant to that, her arm has opened up into some sort of mechanical weapon!

Otto quickly switches targets, but as soon as he does Blossom rushes at him, bashes the gun from his grasp and steals it. She then backs off and holds it in her hand, not pointing it at anyone. "D...damn it Blossom, what if she caused all of this? Shoot her!" - "Stupid boy... you really need to learn to shut up when someone is pointing a gun at you..." She lets out with a commanding tone. "What if it was you who caused all of this and not Blossom or I? You are a traveler too..."

Otto holds stead, careful not to make any sudden moves to anger her. "It's a possibility, I know. But I made a mental promise to tell myself from the future if I would ever do something like this... and if you can't trust your own word, then all is lost." The girl merely lets out a loud laugh! "What horse shit! You expect us to believe that?! I know for a FACT that you would not! That you COULD not, dumb-ass!" Her course language is in stark contrast to how refined her arm-implanted rifles are. "Blossom, say something for yourself will ya?" She yells.

Blossom ponders the previous events this day and recollects Bell's physiology and then views the black-clad girl, almost a polar opposite in color... but compared to clothing, face and stature, she is almost exactly the same. And in reference to 'beating the hell out of people' she lets out a seemingly innocent question-

"Are you Bell by any chance?" The black haired girl freezes... Her weapon, eyes and body all gradually shift from Otto to Blossom as her face begins to express greatly escalating anger- "Don't... you... EVER, CALL, ME-" Her eyes flare up as her weapons fire all at once- "BELL!" Blossom shoots up, barely dodging the bullets and she aims the gun at the girl and fires!

However, she seems to of dissipated into thin air... "Blossom, behind you!" Otto lets out frantically! But before she could look behind her: *WHAM* right in the back of the head, sending her flying at a speed immeasurable. While in mid air Blossom opens her eyes and says to herself- "Alright... no more miss nice puff..." Blossom breaks her fall with one hand and quickly searches around, still upside down.

The wind hits her now flipped skirt from behind and she lets out a sharp kick to its direction without looking, directly impacting the girl's core and sending her flying! Blossom jumps to her feet and lunges at her. "Whatever, I don't have time for this... time to use the last one!" The black girl said under her breath. She stopped sliding and aimed her hand at Blossom before she could make it to her and before she even realized what happened; Blossom was trapped in a large, blue sphere!

She then approaches Blossom slowly, as she tries to break out with raw strength, laser eyes and even karate kicks... but none prove effective, the ball is very powerful! She makes it to the cage and looks right into Blossom's eyes. "Stop fighting Blossom, I'm not even here to kill or injure you or Otto..." Blossom meets her eyes and drops her arms, she can't do anything within here. "Then what ARE you doing?" - "Research... as well as other things-"

"Let go of my sister you bitch!" The words seem to come from almost nowhere as the green Powerpuff, Buttercup kicks her in the side of the head, sending her into free-flight! She then lets out an array of attacks on the blue ball, to no avail. "Ah, dang it! OPEN!" Buttercup lets out frustrated! "Bubbles come over here and help us!" Her voice carries very far and seems to reach its desired target, because as soon as she finished the sentence a large sonic boom is heard across the distance.

Blossom merely stands in the sphere observing the situation, "She isn't here to kill us, but I do want out to stop all of this..." She says to herself very quietly. The girl gets up from the attack and simply looks at Buttercup... her eyes starting to widen, like that of a cat's. She breaks into an eager smirk: "Oh, I am gonna have some fun with you, my Buttercup!"

She readies a lunge as the blue girl, Bubbles stops in between Buttercup and her, arms spread out in a gesture of impasse. The black girl relents her lunge stature and says to the blue girl: "And you think that I care that you are standing there? You might wanna move if you want to live...!" Bubbles merely takes a hard gulp, remaining in stance. "Tch... fine with me..." She reapplies her lunging stance and before Bubbles could even realize the situation she was sent flying with a trail of blood leaving her nose.

That sight must of drove Buttercup to the brink of sanity because her teeth nearly broke each other during heavy rage induced grits and she goes after assailant! Not wanting to be caught off guard again, she enters a defensive stance, waiting for Buttercup to near. Buttercup wastes no time with strategy as she continues down a straight path to the defending girl.

"Sigh, you're no fun... Oh well, I guess it was to be expected, going head first was always your style..." She sidesteps with great speed and punches Buttercup in the side of the stomach so hard that the nearby grass flitted at the sheer power it generated, however she did not fly off upon impact and just fell to the ground as if dropped from a standstill, speechless and seemingly lifeless.

The girl merely looks at Buttercup's body and taps it lightly with her foot. She diverts her eyes from Buttercup and back to Blossom, who is wearing a surprisingly mellow look. She walks up to her and says "Aren't you angry at this? You don't look mad at all..." Blossom looks back into her eyes, wondering the same question. 'Why am I not angry?' She thinks to herself.

"Well I honestly never knew them that well... and there isn't anything I can do." - "Never knew em' that well huh? Guess I'm in the right place..." She raises her hand and the orb dissipates, Blossom falls to her feet, but does not waste time going into a defensive posture, the girl holds all the cards and even still- it seems she isn't her enemy...

"What are you doing here? What's your name?" The black haired girl stares off for a while and then to Bubble's body and then back to her. "Well honestly, I came to stop Otto." She pauses for a while. "As for my name, best not tell you now... come, let's talk to Otto." She starts to walk off and Blossom looks at her sisters...

"Before I go with you... you left them alive- right?" - "I checked Buttercup, she's fine, well a better word is 'alive'... and I didn't hit Bubbles that hard, she should be more than fine; give or take a broken nose." Satisfied with her low tier of caring for her sisters she never knew, she follows the girl to Otto.

"Without wanting to start a fight, what is your relationship with Bell?" The girl stops in her tracks, but then starts walking again. "I'm sure Otto may have told you, but I am not from this dimension. In my dimension... she's my sister. However in this one it seems I never even existed." The answer catches Blossom off guard, but she continues to walk with her.

If Bell is her sister and she doesn't like Bell... and Bell is Blossom's enemy, does that make this girl her ally? Only time will tell. The girl picks her trench-coat off the ground and puts it back on, hiding her similar garb to the Powerpuff girls as to not catch any more attention... short of people curious of trench-coats.

*A short time later...*

They make it to Otto, who is merely sitting there, deep in thought. The girl speaks, all the while her brown trench-coat waving in the breeze, hands in its pockets. "Trust me, this isn't Blossom's fault and if you try to hurt her again, it will be your ass, got it?" Otto just nods, in no room for negotiation and never making eye contact. "Good..." She turns to Blossom. "Well my job here is done, you're safe... for now."

"We 'will' meet again in the future, but for now we must part ways. Do your best to stop the apocalypse." Otto and Blossom lock eyes, for a split second they were enemies and then they almost died and now there is a strange girl who seems to know about everything... even more than they do. But for now it seems she is not an enemy, at least not a direct enemy and that Otto and Blossom are on thin ice with each other.

If Otto can turn on Blossom so easily and on such low information, what is to stop him from doing it again? But alas, time will tell this as well... at least he is disarmed. Blossom turns away and approaches her sisters, looking over her shoulder at every moment's pass.

Can she trust no one?

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _There may be some small problems with Chapter 2, it is probably the least edited of any of my chapters thus far, but it was probably the most "ingrained" within the original PPGD story made by Bleedman. Other avid readers of the Bleed-Verse may notice what seems like a character made by Griddles, in time, your suspicions may be proven correct. Just know that the story is very long, and even the first story alone involves a lot of hearsay and time travel, so many characters are even confused themselves. As the story goes on, the theme of this chapter may be played out a lot; Friends becoming Enemies, Enemies becoming Friends, but remember what Otto always says:_ **"Tragedy is the only Certainty."**


	3. Chapter 3: Turning point in Fate

Name: Chronometal Wars  
Chapter 3: Turning Point in Fate

The sound of machinery clicks, whirs and beeps in the background... Not a soul in sight, though this area is suited to such a defiant existence... Primitive robots tend to the essential upkeep of the machinery here, though it is in perfect repair. The air in this place is kept a steady 71*F, the ideal setting for Dexter.

The sound of a wrench tightening a bolt into place is as common as the quiet, it seems he is always working on something new- in or out of the lab. However, a noise is heard off to the distance... one he hasn't heard in a long time. A long, loud and invasive siren has been echoing down the labyrinth, drowned out only by the sound of fevered footsteps at a fast pace.

"Computer, status report!" Dexter yells as he runs down the endless halls. "Accessing... Dexter, a large energy surge is occurring right outside the town of Megaville. It is steadily growing in power, radius and heat, and will; considering it does not stop growing; consume, burn and obliterate all of Megaville." Dexter continues down the hall, almost at his favorite chair!

He jumps as he lands in the computer chair, spinning in it once and moving himself to the keyboard. The sound of keys being hit are also common, though not usually at this speed. "Hmm, so it's right there eh? Better call Blossom... Computer, send a priority 1 emergency message to the Powerpuff Girls, and continue scans on the anomaly, and notify me of any changes!"

He then catches himself in mid thought: "Computer, where did this energy source come from? What is it?" - "Dexter, it seems to have come from the base of the northern Megaville mountains. A large amount of electrical interference can be felt from there, which opens the possibility of electronic devices present. As for what it is: that is unknown as of now."

As he continues his work on his report of the energy source, another- more pressing alarm goes off! "Dexter, many mechanical beings are less than 1 mile from the lab and closing at a 15 Mph speed." - " What? How many?" - "Scanning... ... 851, and 2 larger mechanical tank-like devices." - "Where did they come from? Who's robots are they?!" - "Unknown."

"Computer, did you send the message to Blossom?" - "Affirmative." Dexter wastes no time, he enters a command into the computer panel that will cause 99% of the lab to become virtually impregnable. But right before he can put in the final code, an explosion goes off near the Lab wall! As he puts in the code, the lab goes into a constricted and highly defended state, except the area where the explosion went off is malfunctioning and will not lock down!

"Computer get repair bots over to the hole, and repair it as fast as possible, priority 1!" - "Understood." The air is buzzing with energy and stress, alarms are going off and the lab itself is flashing red and white! Robots divert their constant duties to the hole in the wall and work at an electric pace, clearing the immediate area of rubble and debris...

They are coming...

"Time minus 1 minute to mechanical confrontation." Dexter is scanning the area, and making calculations... "Robots times immediate repairing material divided by 1 minute... plus robots to make it here by that time..." He does calculation body language, but it doesn't add up. "Ergh... dangit it wont work! There's not enough time!"

"Time minus 20 seconds to mechanical confrontation, exercise caution Dexter." Dexter climbs a ladder to his armory, he's not losing his lab without a fight. "Computer, initiate robot defense mode omega strategy, blockade that hole!" - "Yes, Dexter." The first robot makes it in, and Dexter's robots use whatever tools available, be it a repairing torch or a stray stone to attack it.

As he digs through his only weapon cache, he can hear the battle just yards away, it starts off tame, but as more robots make it in the sounds are nearly cacophonous. Armed now with his laser blade, plasma rifle, and energy shielding, he runs to the catwalk overlooking the gaping wound in his lab!

He flicks a switch on his vest and a blue haze envelops him as he arms his plasma rifle, and fires with pinpoint accuracy at the increasingly numerous robots! The lab's own tenders are being torn to shreds by large beetle-like robots with almost impossible blade sharpness! They are making it in almost as fast as they can walk!

"Computer, where are the Powerpuff Girls?!" - "Scans are not picking them up within a 1 mile radius." That comment sends a shiver down Dexter's spine, he won't be able to hold his lab- or his life out very long, if they aren't on their way he might not make it, or worse... he will have to flee his one and only working lab.

One after another, the robots fall and one after another, the robots advance, ignoring Dexter due to his high-ground advantage. They are ignoring his machinery, give or take a scan, and they continue into the womb of his life's work. "Die you abominations of science!" He continues his assault on the machines, but the entire floor is blanketed in a writhing dark-chrome color that is the robot invasion!

His rifle is now out of ammo and he is left with either going back and restocking, or jumping down and beam-sabering them! Dexter's inner rage forces him down the ladder and onto one of the robots, he takes out his beam-blade and stabs it into the core of the machine, ending it instantly. Though he is now on par with the robots, they continue to completely ignore him.

He is destroying them at a much slower pace than he normally would, but now it seems the robots have all made it in... "Computer, Powerpuff girls, NOW!" - "They are within 4000 feet of this lab and closing." - "Thank Einstein..." Dexter follows the robot beetles into his own lair, but stops as a grizzly noise is heard only a few yards away.

The sound of a large vehicle is approaching, fast and Dexter remembers that the computer scanned 2 large tank-like mechanical objects approaching. Dexter is at his wit's end, over 500 robots are still functional and running rampant through his lab, and titans approach to do god-knows-what. The large tank is now creeping into the hole, though it is immediately apparent that it is too large.

It continues in as if the wall never existed- breaking it to dust as it moves. Dexter merely stands there in the shadow of the great construct, Sword in hand- with no hope of rescue. But just as all hope leaves Dexter's form, a sonic boom can be heard just outside the lab, and just after that the tank stops moving in its tracks, only a few feet from Dexter.

A red haze fires through one of the cracks in the wall. "Dexter, are you okay?!" Dexter looks up and meets the only consolation to his doomed situation, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls: Blossom! "F...fine, and you?" She fires down and picks up Dexter in her protective arms. "Just swell, let me get you out of here!"

As she leaves through the crack she came in, they catch a sight of Buttercup, the green Powerpuff Girl holding the tank in place as Bubbles, the blue Powerpuff Girl, standing in place with a large Blue aura around her. "Don't worry, they will take care of it, lets get you to the professor to cure your paralysis." She smiles wryly as Dexter merely nods...

*Several hours pass...*

The Powerpuff's humble abode on the outskirts of Megaville is jumping with energy now that the 2 other girls make it back home, and Dexter scrambles for every grim detail of his lab. The green one speaks up. "Well it wasn't too much trouble to break the things, but what was all of that anyway? That wasn't the reason we came." Dexter's face shows confusion for a short moment, and he snaps back into reality.

"Ohh that's right! The energy reading!" Dexter lets out now that he remembered the very reason he called the Girls. The blue girl says playfully: "Well we would of checked it out if there weren't two big tanky things crushing the neighborhood, so we went to your lab to see if it was you... unlikely but still possible right?"

Dexter called the girls to investigate the anomaly roughly 10 seconds from the proximity alarm, if he called them any later he would of been... well- crushed. "Well I'm glad you guys came when you did, I'm gonna head back to the Lab and check the damage." - "By yourself? Are you sure?" Bubbles let out worried. "Thanks but you guys did enough, I can take it from here... Hmm..." Dexter looks around the room before he leaves the house.

"Where's Blossom?" He asks. Footsteps can be heard going down the stairs. "She said she was going to take a shower real quick." It's the professor, he walks to the door and escorts Dexter out. "Thank you for the pick-me-ups Mr. Utonium, see ya." Dexter then walks off into the distance toward his possibly non-existent Lab.

The hour is Nine, the rest is not important; It's dark is the point. Dexter walks down the sidewalk, eyes to the ground, deep in thought having traveled this way many times before he needs not look to make it to his lab, but he hits a road block not even half way. He looks up to see the commotion, the towns-folk are yelling, talking, screaming and just plain making noise just up ahead. No doubt from the panic of tonight's events.

The town police: which Dexter has a deep brotherhood with, block the people from passing this point. Dexter makes it to the front of the line, without exchanging so much as a sight lock the yellow tape is risen, and Dexter passes. "So it wasn't just my lab eh?" Dexter says before leaving the police line.

"Nah, the entire block this'way down's been c'pletely flattened Dex." The moonlight reflects off the bits of metal strewn across the streets and wreckage of the houses... Dexter continues down, sure his Lab has met the same fate. His mind-etched route, now changed causes Dexter to become a little more careful, and slow with his steps, his lab is more than a good 5 miles away.

His mind wanders into corners he would rather not venture again...

A long time ago Dexter met in combat with his arch-rival; Mandark. This battle- fueled over the death of Dexter's sister, and Mandark's love; Deedee, caused a lot of death and destruction on both sides, but Dexter had a net-win... being the only one of the battle to come out alive. Just after Deedee's death, Dexter was traumatized and created an android that looked just like her... it was made of donated human organs, and a nanosteel frame: virtually indestructible...

It was the epitome of everything Dexter never wanted as a scientist... it was an abomination, and he knows that his sister would despise the device, yet he created it... and kept it: forevermore. Why? Not even he knows...

His house, just a few yards away catches Dexter's eye, most of it is untouched... partly because this was once his lab, but is no longer. He created a second lab after... Deedee's passing... in secret inside his school in Megaville and used his old, destroyed lab as a shortcut to the new lab- should the need arise. This was not the main target of the machines, therefore the house... and his family within were left unharmed.

He enters the house, greets his worry-struck parents, and heads to his room. Moving a book, the entire bookcase moves to show a ruin... his old lab, his foul... horrible... guilt-struck and deathly feeling carcass of an old lab... He does not intend to stay here longer than he needs: so he runs to the Ver-tram and fires into his new lab quickly...

The long ride gives him time to think... but all these things, his lab being destroyed, and him being in his old destroyed lab... him almost dying... nearly brings Dexter to tears. All the memories he has tried so hard and long to keep from resurfacing and ruining his NEW life are coming back all at once and it brings Dexter to his knees and he takes off his Glasses...

Dexter sighs as he fights back the tears, his head angled straight up in an attempt to stop them from inadvertently rolling down his cheeks. He closes his eyes, the sliding pressure forces them out and he cant stop it, he falls to the floor and cries...

and cries...

For minutes... he cries and he can find no release, this isn't the only- first- or last time he wishes or will wish that he was dead... all of this pain and suffering, and death because of him... because of his past. The things he has done, the people he has harmed-

"Damn it all Dexter, forget this... please!" He says to himself over and over again, but he cant seem to break the cycle... He punches the floor of the Ver-tram as it makes its next and final turn to his new lab. Lights flash up above through the glass ceiling of this mobile room. He gets up from the floor and leans on a corner.

Dexter sighs and sniffs, he can't handle this anymore... but when he seems to just about snap she comes to the rescue again... "Dexter? Is that you or a recording?" Dexter's eyes light up, he looks around and sees a camera in the corner of the moving tram. He rubs his eyes frantically in an attempt to cover his sorrow.

"Y...yeah, its me, Blossom... not a recording..." - "Ohh... good... I came to your lab after I heard you left, I can see you from this screen, where are you?" Dexter sighs. "Coming to you Blossom..." Blossom nods to herself. "Okay, I'll be waiting for you..."

As she leans on his giant computer, the chair right in front of her shoots sideways as the floor itself opens up, and a large cylindrical- glass object raises from the floor. A door slides open to show Dexter, he lunges out and hugs Blossom. "E-EH?! A...are you okay Dexter?" He says nothing, he clings to his entire world, and doesn't let go. Blossom stays still for a minute, and then hugs back...

If she hadn't come at that moment...

Dexter lets go of Blossom after a short while. "Thank you for everything Blossom, I needed to hear your voice to put things back into perspective..." He looks up at the ceiling of his Lab. "I just need to keep going for Deedee's sake-" He looks at Blossom. "And for my sake, I need you." Blossom nods. "Want to take a look around now?"

Dexter snaps out of his negative/positive spiral of emotions and stands up straight. "Yeah, lets see the damage..." They walk down the lab's halls... 2-A, 2-B, 2-C... They reach the index and the same destruction is apparent in every room, the robots were looking for something. As they come to a fork in the lab they decide to split up, Dexter heading down the continued index, Blossom into the heart.

Dexter utilizes voice activated wall conduits to keep in continuous contact with Blossom. "Find anything that they might of taken yet?" - "No, I'll keep looking." They both continue their boring jobs. Dexter passes into the final index after some time, all the rooms have been ransacked and over half the inner lab has been combed. "I didn't find anything on my half of the lab, I'll head to the mouth and see whats up, Dex." Dexter looks back, its gonna be a long walk...

As if Dexter needed more time alone, he continues by himself, down the shattered remains of his labyrinth. "Computer, status report." - "Over 30% of the lab has been misplaced, moved, destroyed or in any way affected by the foreign robots." 30% is a very large amount, almost six square miles of machinery as well as spanning several floors, it will take Dexter months of 'uninterrupted' work to repair it.

Dexter passes the time walking down his now apparently too big Laboratory by making calculations. 30% of 33,450 square feet, most of which are delicate machinery or holding cells for past inventions... Helper bots destroyed, total repair rate reduced by 98.5%. Total time estimate to total repair: 6 months, assuming he spends 6 hours a day repairing. He sighs.

His mental train of thought crashes into a mental 'wall' with a worried Blossom blasting her voice through the intercom. "Dexter! Come to the front of your lab now! Something IS missing!" Dexter thinks about what could possibly be at the fro-

His eyes widen and Dexter runs off as fast as he ever has down to the entrance of the lab!

As Dexter runs down his lab, he keeps thinking to himself about his most guilt-stricken invention ever devised, the one placed at the maw of his lab. He makes a sharp turn causing the rubber in his boot to smoke as a squeaking sound echoes down the halls, before the echoes of running are once again heard.

He pants wildly, as if things couldn't get any worse, he slips several times, and corrects himself before he falls, but he loses his balance and he then lands on pieces of metal left from the Robots. "Ahhhg...!" The very sound of that causes a sonic boom to echo throughout his lab. As he rises to his knees and holds his arm in pain, Blossom shows up, and airlifts him to his medial lab.

A few agonizing moments later, medicbots are tending to his arm, riddled with metal shards and toxic waste. "Th...thanks Blossom- Oww..." Blossom stares at him a moment, deep in thought. Dexter stares back, considering that she is probably finding the words to use regarding the missing machinery in the front of his lab.

She opens her mouth, but quickly closes it and goes back to thought. Some moments pass before Dexter breaks the silence- "Is she gone...?" Blossoms eyes weaken, now she is trying to find other words. "Yes Dexter, she is gone." Dexter lets out a deep, wrenching sigh. He closes his eyes and lays his head back against the surgery-bay's pillow.

Blossom turns her back and sits on the stool next to the bed. Dexter looks over, seeing only her red hair and deeper red bow. "Blossom...?" She turns her head around curiously. "Do you think that something really bad is going to happen?" Blossom ponders the question a bit, but then he speaks again. "Mandark is gone, but for some reason, I found his beetle bots in my lab earlier..."

Blossom quickly responds. "Do you think that someone is using his lab?" Dexter inches off of his back to lean on the pillow, causing a medicbot to made all sorts of noise. Without breaking his sight on Blossom he pushes a button on the droid to cause it to go silent again as he continues. "Its very possible, but I'm not sure who, or why anyone would want to take them over and send an assault on my lab, and take out some of Outer Megaville too."

Blossom goes over a list of villains she has seen over the years, the most reasonable choice would be Mojo-jojo, but he has never shown his face since she moved to Megaville. "I think I know someone who might of done it, perhaps someone followed me from Townsville." He jumps off the bed and reaches for a syringe and some medicine.

"What are you doing Dexter?" Blossom asks as she rises from the stool. "Packing a shot of stim, and going to Mandark's old lab." - "But you aren't better yet!" - "No, not completely- but all of the shards are out of my arm, and the bandage is set. It's gonna get better on its own, but I'm packing stim just in case." Blossom scoffs and rushes to his side. "Dexter, what if someone IS at Mandark's lab, don't you think going there alone is... very VERY stupid?!"

"Well I'm not going to argue that its not a thing a man of science would do, but I'm not going alone." He looks her in the eye. "I'm gonna call on an old friend." He walks out of the pale-white operating room as the Medicbots go into standby; Blossom in close pursuit.

He reaches the heart of the Lab where he sits on his computer chair and boots it up. "Man, I hope this thing still works..." The computer loads up successfully, and Dexter blushes slightly. He thinks to himself- "Oh, man... I forgot my desktop is a big picture of Blossom in her two-piece!" Without ever making eye contact he keeps perfectly natural as he accesses the internet.

"Was that me at the beach with you and Olga?" Blossom giggles slightly at Dexter's awkward body language as he fidgets in his chair. He coughs, as he accesses his account. As he imprints his password, Blossom looks at the keyboard in pure curiosity to catch the password through sight memorization, just for fun.

But to her amazement his fingers moves extremely fast: even for her, and before she knows it there's a 47 digit password punched in. Among his... rather small friend's list- is one who is still online. Dexter clicks it to enter into chat.

(Wizkid says: Hey coop, you still on?)

After a short delay...

(Lordofthelargepants says: yeah big man, whas on yer mind?)  
(Wizkid says: I'm going to need Megas again.)  
(Lordofthelargepants says: whaaaat? wy?)  
(Wizkid says: I need to check out Mandark's Lab.)  
(Lordofthelargepants says: yo mean that geek wit the giant bee robo?)  
(Wizkid says: Yes, but not the same place Coop.)  
(Lordofthelargepants says: i dont meen to be unsensitiv ,but isnt he ded?)  
(Wizkid says: Yes, well, maybe. I'm not sure, I just know I was attacked today by his robots.)  
(Lordofthelargepants says: forreel? well i supose i can help you again.)  
(Wizkid says: Thanks Coop, you are a lifesaver.)  
(Lordofthelargepants says: you no it!)  
(Wizkid says: In case you forgot my address, here I am- the sooner the better coop, I may be a dead man Tomorrow.)

He punches in a file and sends it to his friend, and he exits out of the program, causing another short slip of Blossoms beach image to fly across the screen before he forces the computer off. "Well that's that, He will be here in a couple hours, by then it will almost be daytime... you should head home." - "I'm a superhero too Dexter, I'll come with you!" Almost as if he was hoping for those words, his face lights up a bit. "Thanks Blossom..."

He turns away and heads into a part of the lab. Blossom asks curiously- "What are you doing?" - "Getting supplies" But as soon as he starts walking, his intercom lets out a loud static! When it breaks a voice can be heard coming from it- "Attention Megaville! Attention Megaville! This is not a Drill, there are Unknown Flying Objects and mechanical things of unknown origin running wild in the Suburbs! Be sure to get to a safe location and/or seek the police and await further instructions!"

The intercom loops after that endlessly as Dexter and Blossom locks eyes and a seemingly constant low-pitch rumbling is heard, as if it was an elephant stampede. Something really bad is going to happen...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Chapter 3, more of a prequel than anything. This chapter was when I really started to love writing this story. For a long time, the actual "Chronometal Wars" were actually just talked about, but never shown. But here in Chapter 3 (And other future segments) you get a small glimpse into what actually went down that eventually caused the end of the world. This part was edited somewhat throughout my writing career, but mostly later on it was eventually fully remade. For the pacing of the current story, this is still Chapter 3. Within the context provided, this is Blossom having slight memories of what went down, even though she's far from fully remembering anything._


	4. Chapter 4: Fate's Black Hand

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chapter Four: Fate's Black Hand

With the trench-coat clad girl gone, all that's left is Blossom, Otto and a couple of bleeding bodies in the dirt. Blossom walks up to the more terminal sister; Buttercup. She crouches down and wiggles her arm in an attempt to awaken her- to no avail. "Hmm." She said under her breath. She then hears footsteps behind her and whips her head backward, catching sight of Otto.

She wears a very hostile face toward him, but he does not return the sentiment. "Blossom... I-" Otto lets out, rudely interrupted by Blossom. "I really don't want to hear it Otto, and if what the girl said is true, it's not my fault... but guess what? I don't have anything on you! It could of all been you!" Otto merely diverts his eyes and sighs.

"Uhhg..." A faint sound is heard a short distance away, Bubbles struggles to hold her upper body upright. She meets eyes with Blossom for a short moment, but then quickly snaps to Buttercup. "Bu... Buttercup...!" Bubbles stumbles to her feet and runs over to the group- fighting a major headache and possibly a concussion.

"Is she alright?!" She almost screams out as she falls to her knees at Buttercup's side- all the while blood runs down her face. Being a major hemophobe, Buttercup's condition must be incredibly frightening to her if she doesn't mention it at all. Blossom rips her angry eyes from Otto and then turns to meet Bubbles.

"I think so, I'm not sure if she's 'Okay' per say, but she's still breathing." - "Well what are you waiting for Blossom!? Take her to the nurse!" Blossom looks around and soaks up the situation and gains perspective; she is the leader of this group, and she really isn't acting like it right now. "R-Right! Let's get her there, uh- you lead the way!" Blossom all but forgot the way there...

Blossom holds Buttercup in her arms as if she were a sleeping damsel... aside from the word damsel the situation isn't too far from the fantasy. Bubbles feverishly leads the way, looking back during every possible moment. Blossom looks back, seeing that Otto is following- almost as invasive and annoying as the robots of the future...

They make it to the nurse's office, all... four, of them. Blossom still giving Otto the evil eye. The nurse gives Buttercup a quick look-over, he is very familiar in super-hero first aid and has treated the Powerpuff girls many times. "It seems she has sustained major injuries to her ribcage, she must of taken quite the hit." The male nurse says unsurprised.

"You could say that." Blossom says to no-one in particular. "We got in a scrape with a... rival from a long time ago, apparently." Bubbles looks over to Blossom confused. Blossom rises to her feet and walks towards the door. "Where are you going?" Bubbles said to Blossom. "I'm gonna go talk to Dexter." The very statement shot Otto out of his seat and into close quarters of Blossom who nearly elbows him in the face, but fights the crushing urge.

She approaches, opens, exits, and closes the door calmly but as soon as she is out of sight of them she goes back into anger-mode. "The hell do you want anyway Otto?!" - "Look, I screwed up, alright? I. Am. Sorry. But I am still a time squad agent, and I need to keep tabs." Blossom lets out a 'very' wrenched sigh, and walks off toward the inner hallway.

Buttercup would be standing here being gawked at by all the jealous girls at school for being saved by Jack during her battle with the Dread Dragon if it were not for her 'current' injuries, but that is of little consequence.

"Alright, keep your distance, I'm actually going to HELP the timeline a bit, so leave me alone." Blossom scoffs as she motions Otto to go away. He holds stead and observes her. Dexter walks down the hallways with a large stack of books that obscure his vision, Blossom walks the opposing direction in the intention of colliding with him.

She brushes arms with him, and he loses his balance and drops all the books, as they make a sound of fluttering paper as they fall spine-up and crinkle their paper upon the tiles. His glasses fall on the ground, as does Blossom. She remembers every step she takes here, but hopes her actions before don't ruin the situation now.

She recited from memory and forged emotions: "Dexter, I'm sorry! I should have look where I was going, I'm really sorry!" - "It's nothing- I'm okay." She then looks him in the eye, with the intention of merely staging the next act, but she then sees something in them.

"Um, are you okay?" Blossom merely looks Dexter in the eyes, seeing something much different then she remembers before. She picks his glasses up off the floor and hands them to him. "I... uh..." She fumbles her line completely... "Well, I'm going to clean up here..." - "Uh, let me help you Dexter!" She helps him pick up the books, but then forgets everything else, and decides to go with it as if it was truly a new meeting.

"Hey uh, I'm really sorry about that, let me make it up to you later tonight, alright?" - "Oh? What did you have in mind?" - "I'll think of something, and pick you up." - "Alright, its a date!" Blossom chuckles slightly at Dexter's direct humor and walks off acting like a giddy schoolgirl, a real girl, as the professor initially intended her to be... not a scarred husk that the wars left behind, and for a while she forgets her woes.

Otto merely stands gawking, mouth agape. "Th...that wasn't helpful to the timeline in the SLIGHTEST!" Blossom reacts to his words as if she completely forgot his existence. "Oh, uh... I forgot my line." - "So your gonna take him out on a DATE to fix it?" - "Lay off Otto, this timeline is helplessly changed anyway, might as well have some fun before Mandark tries to kill me."

That final statement sends chills down her spine after it slips off her tongue. She is going to be ambushed by Bell and forced into Mandark's lair, and await Dexter's saving grace. She may have more experience now, but its very possible she is the same strength as before, and it is rather unlikely that she will be able to fight off her aggressors.

"Oh my god... *sigh* That's right... In only a couple hours, Bell is going to attack me..." Otto changes from pessimist to worried friend in an instant. "But, I don't think you've formed good enough of a relationship with Dexter to cause him to risk his own life to save you... all I've seen so far is you beat him up, and then knocked down his books..."

Blossom sighs again. She walks off toward the library. "Are you going to do what I think you are?" - "Maybe..." She stands before the largest bookcase there, and looks for the thickest, most complicated and frustrating looking book in the entire area. After locating it, seemingly a Almanac on the many theories of protomatter... or something like that; obviously something no-one would ever touch. She gives it a tug, and it causes the Bookcase to move...

She walks in, the only light coming from where she was, and where the lab starts. As soon as she hits the bottom, she raises her head to meet with Deedee's, cold and unrelenting eyes.

"Hello again... we have to stop meeting like this..." Blossom enigmatically whispers under her breath.

"You shouldn't be here..." Is heard from Blossom's side in the shadows. Blossom knows she is not welcome but she needs to stop Mandark, now. "Dexter, Mandark is going to kill me." Dexter seems unsure how to react at this statement and he continues to wear an incredibly surprising neutral-face.

"If this is your idea of a joke, or pretense to a date, maybe I mis-judged you." - "It's not a joke, he wants to kidnap me and use me as bait to lure you into an elaborate trap, because of what you did to Deedee-" - "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Dexter seethes with rage over Blossom's words. "I did not do this to Deedee, it was all Mandark!" Dexter coughs, the volume of his voice caused him to choke up a bit.

After catching his breath, he resumes. "How do you know about this anyway? No-one in the entire world knows what truly transpired in my lab that day..." - "Mandark does." Blossom let out simply. Dexter pauses, and then lets out a small sigh. "I should have known he would never truly let go..."

Blossom then asks him a short and direct question. "Can you act like nothing happened here? If Mandark knows that I know he might try something even more dangerous." Dexter scoffs. "Why would I risk my own life to save you anyway? We just met!" Blossoms eyes tear up as her aura sinks into one of sadness...

Dexter looks up and sees her sad face as she turns back up the stairs. "Please Dexter, if you won't come for me, then 'please don't try to bring me back', I'll beat him alone..." Those words strike Dexter right in the heart, as he remembers Deedee's words in the Garden that one day he tried to find his inner-self...

*He remembers his youth... his sister, in her white dress that she usually clads herself in when she wishes to pass life lessons to him. The long conversation seemed pointless and drawn out at the time, but nowadays he understands it more then anything else in life...*

Technology is not everything in the world was the gist of her heartfelt speech to Dexter, and after she died- it was the only thing keeping him from 'fully' completing the abomination that was Deedee-android. He made a promise to Deedee that should she ever die he would never use Technology to bring her back. And now Blossom is saying that she is going to die, and for him to not bring her back.

Dexter's mind races, He won't ever let Mandark kill again...!

"NO! Blossom, I will... I WILL SAVE YOU...!" Dexter rushes to her side as if by instinct and shows a very protective and bold side of himself that Blossom hasn't seen in a very long time. "Dexter, even through time and space you are still the same man I've known..." - "Huh? What are you talking about Blossom?" She says nothing and lunges at him, giving him a big hug!

Dexter blushes brightly. She lets go and lets a few tears fall to the ground, all the while a huge smile splays across her face. 'I love you Dexter...' she thinks to herself deeply. She turns and walks up the stairs. "Mandark will try to take me by force soon, but its a massive army you can't stop, please don't try. Maybe if you had a giant robot or something..."

Ever since Mandark destroyed Dexter's old lab a long ways back most of his giant robots are beyond repair, but he does know Coop and Megas- and makes a mental note of them. As she passes the staircase, she meets eyes with Otto, who seems to of heard the entire thing. The bookcase shuts...

"I... I can't believe he feels that way towards you, even after all you did." - "This is going to sound really girly, but I think the power of love transcends time and space..." Otto lets out a small laugh and smiles at Blossom. "Blossom, I am sorry for everything that happened, and I promise it will never happen again, can we please still be friends?"

Blossom recounts all the matters of her life she can remember so far as a robot. All she has ever known was death, gloom, anger and destruction... but now she has a chance to change everything for the sake of good! Blossom smiles back, wipes the tears from her eyes, wears a proud face and says: "Of course Otto!" She raises a hand up, and Otto smacks it-

"High Five!" 'This world needs us to work together Otto...' She thinks to herself, proudly.

*Some time passes*

Blossom and Otto walk out of the library, together. Each with a new-found respect for the other. No matter what happened or is going to happen, they cannot afford to be on opposite sides. It seems as though the entire universe is out to get them, but their only beacon of hope is Dexter, yet at the same time, their chances are still very shaky.

If Dexter is indeed the one who causes the wars initially- then helping him is beyond the question, but then again; everything is lost in translation and they have no proof. All they have is what they see. Dexter, even now- loves Blossom and would give his life for her, and that is more than enough to convince either of them.

"Well, in about a few minutes Bell will meet me atop the Hill..." - "Blossom, you have to realize a few things. Dexter is going to come for you, and you are still Blossom. In the body of the SAME Blossom. You cannot take them all, you couldn't before." He pauses slightly, choosing his next words. "There's no need to fight it, you will live Blossom... trust Dexter." Blossom smiles slightly. "I do trust Dexter, but I don't trust myself."

Blossom continues after a short delay of thought. "I am not just going to be taken Otto, I will fight them with all my power. If I fail, Dexter will save me. If I succeed, perhaps we can avoid the worst of a horrible Battle." - "Well, I guess saving lives, especially Mandark's could prevent the Chronometal wars." - "So we are in agreement? You aren't gonna try to stop me?"

"Well there isn't much I can do, Its pretty obvious that Time Squad was hiding this from either me or alot of agents, I can't report you, and I damn well cant stop you by force, Not that I would. Blossom, I am with you to the end!" - "Thanks Otto..." They both walk down the hall, and notice someone unexpected.

Its the Black Girl leaned up against the wall...

"Hello again, Blossom..." She turns her head to Otto. "Otto..." Blossom turns to Otto, and gestures that she won't interfere, and Otto takes the hint and talks to the Black Girl. "What do you want now? Why are you here?" She eases off the wall, and nears them on equal ground, showing no signs of hostility.

"I've been watching you both, and I gotta say, it's interesting that you would take this route... but not just that... take it, Together." She snickers slightly and continues. "I gotta say, if I were in your shoes I would probably off Dexter when he wasn't looking, but this is far more interesting." She turns around, her trench-coat fluttering from her movement.

"You intend to fight Bell head-on? Admirable... very foolish, but admirable." Blossom follows up. "When we first fought she was very weakened by hurting her dog... what was its name?" - "Girly..." The black girl nearly gags from that response. "Trust me Blossom, it is not in any way a weakness, I would know. She treats it as a... lesser sibling, harming it would be... unwise."

She walks off down the hall, getting lost in the crowd before either of them could know it. "Who the hell is she?!" Otto lets out daunted. Blossom shakes her head. "I don't know, She looks almost just like Bell, but she definitely isn't. She couldn't seem to stress that enough. Even being her sister from another dimension, she shows no love for her." Blossom turns her head to the door to the infirmity. "I'm going to check up on 'my' sisters..."

Blossom and Otto enter through the door, and see Buttercup sitting on the medical bed, she seems to be feeling better. The male nurse is tending to her very closely. "You know I am still very uncomfortable with your whole, 'True sight' thing right?" - "Yes, yes Buttercup. I'll make this very quick, just remember you took a hit that beat a superhero in one shot." - "SHE DIDN'T BEAT ME, SHE GOT A CHEAP SHOT!"

"O-ok Buttercup! Hehe, I'm sorry...!" Buttercup growls slightly as he resorts to any sort of physical contact, the nurse seemingly fearful for his own life... "Oh Blossom!" Bubbles yells out as she jumps from her chair. "How was the talk with Dexter?" Blossom, seemingly confused with the question says: "Uhh, good... good. Why do you ask?"

Bubbles looks away, surprisingly- she seems lost in thought... rare for the dense Powerpuff. "Well I stepped out of the room a few times for fresh air, and I saw the girl who did this to us..." Blossom and Otto turn their heads to meet with each other, and then back to Bubbles, curious. "I talked to her a bit, and she didn't seem that mean, but I still didn't trust her."

"What did she say Bubbles?" As Blossom asked this Buttercup nearly spits at the floor... it seems she has heard this before... "She said she was sorry, and didn't mean to hurt either of us, but I think that was a lie. But she did try to be nice... lie or no." - "I don't know too much about her Bubbles, but I can at least vouch for her non-aggression. The fight we were in was due to many different reasons, she doesn't hate us or want to hurt us."

Buttercup turns to meet those words. "Ohh really? And how can we just trust this Bi-" - "Watch your language Buttercup!" Bubbles interrupts with. "Fine, this... girl... when she has the power to beat all of us?!" Buttercup shakes her head, seemingly distraught from the situations of the day. "I don't know Blossom, I just don't know."

Blossom looks around the room for a bit, and then to the clock on the wall. Its nearly 7:30, the time she was ambushed by Bell. "Well, just take my word for it, she is not our friend or our enemy... just keep an eye on her... that is if you can ever find her, she seems to like to hide in plain sight." She turns and opens the door. "I'm going to head out for a bit with Otto, I'll be back..." Blossom pauses for a short moment. "Uh... soon..."

She closes the door behind her after Otto makes it out of the room. "Stay here and alert Dexter once you find out- using information in this timeline alone; that I have been kidnapped." Otto remembers the bow he gets in the mail, and prepares the rest of his day accordingly. Blossom walks down the hall, past all the employees working overtime and students staying either for extra credit or detention and opens the door to the outside.

With Blossom gone, Otto thinks to himself... "What if the guys back home know what is happening? ... I... I can't afford to ask... sorry guys..."

As soon as the door closes she feels she isn't alone. She looks around for a bit, and sure enough, just off to the left, is the Black girl again.

"Are you really gonna go through with it?" She asks flatly. "I'm going to try. Almost nothing can come out of me getting caught except time preservation." She walks near Blossom and says: "Well think about this. You told Dexter to save you, what if you never get caught?" - "I'll merely tell him I shrugged them off, either way- we are going to have to stop Mandark."

She thinks to herself shortly. "Hmm, it seems you have this pretty thought out." - "I wouldn't come this far through time on a whim, this all needs to happen." The girl thinks a little more to herself, and then laughs slightly and continues. "Well, either way, Bell is far stronger than you, even if you can get some cheap shots on her she will fight back and win. At least until Mandark gets his grubby hands on you."

She turns away and flies into the air. "I'll be watching you, Blossom. Do me proud." She is out of sight in mere moments, she is really, really fast.

Blossom treads up the hill, and awaits Bell's arrival. After several minutes, she sits down at the base of the tree and thinks the situation through to pass time, but before she realizes it, the weird dog-thing is here.

"I AM YOUR DOOM!" After the initial words, Blossom phones his entire rant about dancing out, and flies into the air quick. As soon as she lifts off, a small explosion goes off where she once was. She fires back down and meets the true culprit eye to eye.

It is Bell. She picks the dog up, and talks to it slightly before putting it down away from the battle zone. Blossom catches the word 'Girly' in her talk with the dog. "Why hello there, Bell..." She gets up and turns to Blossom. "You know me... huh...?" She gets into a battle formation. "Then that saves me time with the formalities!" She rushes at Blossom, who barely has time to react to any punch.

She is just as fast and strong as ever, and keeping up is quite a pain, but it is possible. After she tries a kick to the head, Blossom spikes it downward and causes the impact to cause a small crater, in which Bell gets stuck in. Blossom then rushes at her, at full speed; Knee extended- fully intending to smash into her innocent looking face.

But she raises her hand and stops her in mid-air as if she were a baseball! She rises from the crater, her grip still on her knee, and smashes Blossom into the tree! The impact cracks the tree's bark and causes Blossom to cough up a small amount of blood! Blossom rushes backward, it seems altering the battle may be a bad idea...

She rushes back into the battle, and continues to match wits with Bell, who seems to be holding back... They continue the fight, as Blossom fights Bell in high-speed rushing back and forth across large distances. Bell continues to taunt Blossom, but she's already preparing for the next step. Soon she will snap Bell's defenses wide open!

Blossom puts a lot of power into her next punch, that is quickly blocked by bell, but the energy surges outward, causing a spiral and loosening her parry. She continues the punches until she senses an attack coming, and rushes quickly into the air! She has just dodged a large scale pulse of energy!

She then looks toward the dog... thing... and rushes for it, all the while Bell in close pursuit! She lands, and snatches it from the ground and uses it as a shield for her next attack, which works perfectly! Bell stops Mid-attack, leaving herself wide open, but this time, Blossom isn't going to waste her time with a mere kick.

She has also been holding back slightly, and releases a large red laser from her palm, blowing the white girl back quite a distance... This is going better than before- She may even win this time!

But the fight is FAR from over, she realizes as Bell lands almost perfectly on her feet.

Blossom lets out a very emotional and bellowed war cry: "Bell, you are a scourge upon the world! Stop this meaningless fighting or Girly dies!" What seemed like tears growing in her eyes almost immediately fade from her face as she stands with a grizzly look in her eyes.

Her pupils have gone small, and any childish features in her face almost completely vanish. "DAMMIT! LEAVE! GIRLY! ALONE!" As Bell rushes at Blossom fast enough to shatter the tree from 3 feet away with a sonic boom, Blossom squeezes Girly's head, causing him to yelp in pain. "Stop now Bell!" Bell crashes into the ground, causing a massive crater, just mere yards away from Blossom. She looks up out of it, with an even more enraged face! Rage aside, she is holding stead... for now.

"I will leave Girly safe, if you leave. NOW! Leave me, and Dexter alone!" Bell looks around, seemingly confused. Blossom remembers the armada Bell and Mandark arrive with, and she looks around, but as soon as she does a large iron ball-like robot crashes into her chest, causing her to fly backwards and dropping Girly in mid air.

As soon as this happens, Bell rushes to the dog's side, and once he is safely on the ground, she flies to Blossom, but halts after hearing the words of a young man from close-by. "Bell! Clusterbots! Stop! I want her alive!" Two robots hold Blossom up by the arms as she slumps onto the ground with her limp legs.

A young man with flat black hair nears her, but she is unconscious. "If she is dead, your chassis are mine! Bring her to my new lab..."

The black girl looks on from far above. "Well... she tried... but fate is fate, and she is only organic... her power is limited..." She looks around the night sky, lost in thought.

"It's okay... Dexter... Everything I have done... was for you..." Blossom closes her eyes as a large laser is fired from Malignancy. Her pointless battle lasted almost an hour, and she is completely spent... and Dexter is no more broken out of his stupor than when they started. She takes a small breath before the laser pierces her chest and heart, sending her crashing into World's-end!

She can faintly make out her surroundings before she leaves sync with the rest of the living world... The roof is incredibly unstable from her crash landing, and the rocks could fall at any moment...

(rocks...)

Chronometal Model B lies before her, shattered beyond any hope of repair... "It's over Blossom, Susan, Phantom and I have won..." Astronomonov lets out an eerie grin, and simply looks up the shattered walkway. "The world will end, and ours will begin! Our new world..."

But then all emotion then leaves her being, as voices seem to come from her, but her mouth remains motionless as even the life seems to leave her body... "And after that world bores me: the death of all things living will feed Model M to the point of bursting! And then we will leave this planet, in search of another capable of feeling absolute terror, and we will torture it until we too destroy them... and then the cycle will begin anew... Not even the Black Mother can stop us now, we are far too powerful to remain under her control..." After that remark World's-end shudders and cracks, as if acknowledging her words.

The lifeless avatar of Astronomonov's body readies a cannon to the ceiling above Blossom's body. Blossom lets out, as if in last words; "As...tronom...onov... No... Olga..." Blossom coughs up blood, but continues to speak. "Your brother... is dead... you cannot bring him back... this way..." Olga merely lets out an echo generating laugh! "HA! This is not about Susan anymore, and I am not Olga, worm!"

"I am Chronometal Model M- Biosymbiote P, and my goal is complete, this mortal shell holds no purpose for me anymore!" Right after saying that, Olga's Chronometal rips from her body and fires over above Blossom's! "Goodbye, Blossom. Your role is complete!" The Chronometal generates an explosion causing the ceiling to collapse in an avalanche of stone and debris.

Blossom has barely enough energy left to raise her arms in one last act of defiance, but its no use. The rocks crush her alive, and she is trapped in a world of agonizing pain and darkness... "As for you my puppet, I will now part ways with you... It's unlikely that you will survive the crash, but stay and revel in the fruits of your efforts... none of this would of been possible without your undying emotion..."

What sounds like wind generating into a very powerful tornado is heard by Blossom, even inside the dark world. But then a heart-wrenching voice is heard, right before she passes out... "B...Blossom, where are you Blossom! I need... you Bloss...om... I... need..." World's-end rumbles and quakes as a large amount of power is forming atop its pinnacle... but Blossom is completely helpless...

Soon the entire world, her sisters, her friends and indeed every single human being will die or suffer in a world of dust and radiation... And Blossom is powerless to stop any of it.

... ... ...

"Wakey Wakey!" Blossom opens here eyes out of another hellish nightmare of things to come... Her left arm is badly gashed from the previous fight. She rises to her knees, and looks around- She then feels a powerful grip on the back of her head! "Rrrgh! Let go of me you bastard!" Blossom lets out, however- she is far too exhausted to back it up with anything.

"You really aughta wake up to the real world Blossom, My world! And trust me, I don't intend on holding you, or keeping you ALIVE any longer than I have to!" The computer lets out a loud intercom- "UNIDENTIFIED CRAFT APPROACHING." - "He's coming to right the wrongs of your past Mandark..." Mandark puts on a rather inquisitive face and faces Blossom. 'Does she know...?' He asks himself...

He views the intercom, and his eyes seem to light up- all the while Blossom's entire body is being slung along by his massive gauntlet. "Those moves... I... I Know that dance!" - "It's Deedee's dance, preformed almost as if Dexter saved it for you..." Mandark once again breaks his gaze of the screen to look at Blossom. "You, Girl. You knew Bell, you know me... And it seems you know what's going on... how?!"

"I have my ways Susan." Mandark's eyes light up with an odd mixture of Hate, Intrigue and sadness. "I don't care what you know about, Powerpuff girl. My plan is still to execute you right in front of Dexter! So that he may feel my pain! To lose his entire world in a single moment..." He looks to the monitor again, Megas is combating the Megabot.

Mandark's side monitors light up, and Mandark looks upon them seemingly surprised. "He is scaling the side of my fortress eh? Lets see how he likes this!" He pushes a single button labeled 'fodder.' "Hopefully that will get his heart pumping by the time he reaches us Blossom, I don't want him lax when he gets here. He will not be leaving here alive!"

"He will pay... He will pay for his sins..." - "Spare me your life story Mandark, I know it all, you are a brittle husk of a man who was sent to a correctional facility... your words mean very little to me." - "Very well girl, we will cut the foreplay!" Mandark gets a row of Mega-adhesive and straps it over her mouth. "Enough of your damn words, you will play the role of the Damsel in distress now!" Mandark puts a Party-hat on for some reason or another...

Blossom merely accepts being dragged along, until she sees something grizzly. A large tube that is used to house bodies in liquid lies before her... Memories flood into her mind, this is what she woke up in! Why did Dexter use Mandark's death machine to store her for years on end? The glass fires down, Mandark throws her in- and the Glass fires back up and locks into place.

"How I have yearned for this moment. Dexter... I will make you regret that you did not finish me when you had the chance! Tonight my dreams will finally be realized!" But just then, Blossom looks up and meets Dexter's eyes- He has arrived.

"MANDARK!" ... ... ... "Yes?" After those words are spoke, water starts flooding into her chamber.

Mandark and Dexter waste absolutely no time with formalities, Dexter descends from the scaffolding and approaches Mandark with deadly ambition, his hands seem to be completely consumed by gauntlets that let off an impossible amount of electricity. Mandark's armament is not much different, only it lets off a crimson electricity.

They clash multiple times, switching weapons to Beam-sabers many times, the fight is truly... 'electric.'

Blossom merely looks on as the battle slowly escalates... As Mandark has Dexter on the defensive, he lets out in remark: "I won't lie to you, Dexter, I am truly relishing all of this. It seems I'm far stronger than you'll ever hope to be. You're simply... no match for me!" Mandark nears Dexter as his gauntlets release incredibly sharp looking claws, and Dexter arms his shield in defiance.

Mandark continues only mere inches from Dexter's bulwark; "Oh how I have waited long for this! It's time for you to pay for your sins Dexter. For what you've done to me, and for what you've done to Dee Dee!" Dexter's eyes widen, it seems Blossom was telling the truth, Mandark truly believes Dexter was the cause of Deedee's death...

"Blossom was right, you 'are' insane Mandark! Deedee is dead because of you! YOU STARTED THIS!" Mandark looks toward Blossom, who is almost up to her head in water... how does she know what they are both thinking?! Mandark quickly grabs a foreign object and attempts to bash Dexter over the head, but Mandark wasted too much time looking at Blossom, and it is quickly deflected... Mandark backs away and barks out-

"LIES!"

Blossom's head is now completely submerged in water, and indeed, the entire machine is filled, and she can no longer make out either Mandark's, nor Dexter's words... She drowned before, and it seems she is going to drown now.

She has changed nothing... Blossom slowly blacks out from lack of air...

...

Many ghastly, yet quiet and hushed noises are heard before she realizes that she is not dead... again. She feels a very faint detachment to the world around her before... before...

Before long she sees herself standing over her own body, Dexter trying to revive it... it seems he won the battle with Mandark again... but then she has a very strange feeling... this is familiar... yet at the same time, so much different- as if she is seeing it from the other side. She looks down upon her spirit self and gasps at the sight!

SHE IS NOT BLOSSOM AT ALL...!

As she slowly, and terrifyingly raises her hands to her face, she realizes she does not have Blossom's hands- But Dexter's hands! She looks at the rest of her body, and sure enough, she is absolutely not Blossom.

She is Dexter...

"W...what the hell... is happening?!" - "Come, child..." Blossom... or is it... Dexter... feels a grasp on her... or his- shoulder. "It is time." It is nothing but the Grim reaper himself, come to see our protagonist off to the afterlife... but then is seems the very heavens split open with a beautiful voice coming from it.

"Hold it!" It is none-other than Deedee herself descending from the heavens, she sadly meets what seems to be her Brother's eyes... But then she looks into the real world, seeing that Dexter is alive- but Blossom is dead. She diverts from the odd scenario and meets eyes with the Reaper.

"What is it now? I'm a little busy here." Deedee then speaks. "Look upon this land grim, do you see a dead boy nearby?" Grim boorishly obliges the question, and finds Dexter tending to Blossom's body, preforming CPR, and doing whatever he can to revive her. "Hmm... come to t'ink of it... No, I don't Deedee..." - "So can you let him live? Please please please please PLEEEEEEASE?!"

"Hmm, dis is quite the pickle... but I don't see why not... since you asked so nicely." - "Oh thank you Grim, your the best!"

Deedee lands and meet's what seems to be Dexter eye to eye...

"D...Dexter? How did this happen?" Deedee asks. "I...I don't know... I thought... I was Blossom...?" Deedee look's to Blossom's still dying body and then back to Dexter. "I don't know what you have done to yourself Dexter, but whatever it was, and wherever it got you, I want you to know I will always love you. And that I will always be watching you..."

She continues. "When the time comes I will return-" As soon as she says that Dexter lets out- "Wait... That's right! I know you!" Deedee looks at him with a great deal of confusion. "Of... course you do, I am your sister... Deedee..." - "NO! Well... yes, but something else!"

"You are Chronometal Model D!" Deedee looks at Dexter, then to Grim, and then back to Dexter. "H...how do you know that Dexter?! I was not to make my second coming for years to come!" - "I... I don't know, Deedee... I just know!" - "It is my destiny to return to the world and help you as Model D... but..."

She looks around, she seems to have lost all idea of what to say. Grim shuts his phone, it seems he has to go. "Please wrap dis up Deedee, I'm in a hurry..." - "Y...yes Grim."

She eyes Dexter. "I don't know what you have gotten yourself into, or how you know the divine plans of the future, but for now I will return you to... whatever shell you came from." She lets off a Brilliant white light that envelops Dexter's entire being. "Please, take care of yourself until the promised day... Brother..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Hey guys, Chapter 4 marks a kind of beginning of the end of the story. A lot of confusing twists and foreshadowing to greater things in the future. Chapters 2 and 4 were very held into the prior universe made by Bleedman and his writers of the time back in 2007-2009, and we may soon be leaving that universe and entering mine. This chapter is probably the hardest to digest out of all of the ones thus far, and many ones to come, but if you can make it through this, you will be met with a lot of closure._

 _I personally felt like Blossom in Chapter 4 was a very good balance of "Omnipotent time traveler" and "Mortal bound by fate". She couldn't fight off Bell successfully, or fight her fate with Mandark, though she knows what she 'can' do, and with that she will learn how to exploit her position to make positive changes to the future, no matter how small or large._


	5. Chapter 5: Mandark's Legacy

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chapter Five: Mandark's Legacy.

Blossom coughs up a large amount of water, as she looks into Dexter's eyes, now not sure whether or not she is looking into her own... Dexter lunges at her and gives her a giant- worried hug. Blossom is more than just a little confused, and she can barely focus on the situation at hand. Mandark speaks on the Reunion's behalf.

"Touching! Very Touching! By the way, I forgot to mention... Your little girlfriend... Is better off without you..." Dexter walks toward the now crippled Mandark, just having tied up every loose end but his pitiful life. He looks down upon the mess of a man, but Mandark does not respond in fear. Instead, he is almost relishing it!

"That's Right! FINISH ME! Go on! Kill me!" Dexter does not budge from his position but instead continues to look down upon Mandark. "What are you waiting for?! Kill me now! This is what you have wanted for so long! Finish what you started!"

Dexter merely shakes his head back and forth.

Mandark, seemingly enraged, stumbles off his knees and grabs Dexter by his labcoat: "WHY!? WHY!? You should of just finished me that night... in the cemetery. You had the chance! You could have just put me out of my misery and saved us all this trouble... IF YOU DON'T KILL ME NOW I'LL KILL YOU, AND BLOSSOM!"

Blossom recoils from the situation: Dexter is supposed to have said that he would not kill Mandark, and then slap him to regain his composure, but... what is-

*Blood spatters across the room...*

Dexter has his great gauntlet embedded in Mandark's Torso... "Y... yes... My pain, will finally... end..." Mandark slumps to the floor in a puddle of his own blood. Dexter merely looks upon his pathetic corpse. "Mandark... it didn't have to be this way... but Blossom was right. You were a very sick man, and if death brings you peace, and us safety... so be it...!"

Dexter turns to Blossom, with tears in his eyes, but he does not falter. Whether or not the tears are of sadness, joy or rage, Blossom does not know. He offers to help her up, and she accepts the help... she is very weak from her near death experience. "I... can't believe you actually did it..." - "Mandark... If you didn't warn me ahead of time I may of considered letting him live on Deedee's behalf... But he has killed too many people, and he almost killed you..."

The roof breaks apart, and the green Powerpuff comes flying through it. She lands on the ground and gasps at the situation...

Mandark is dead in a puddle of his own blood with Dexter and Blossom looking over it. "Y... you guys are safe?" Bubbles also flies down, chasing Buttercup. "Buttercup, you still aren't well! Be care-" Bubbles nearly screams at the sight as well. "It's alright girls... I'm fine..." Blossom lets out weakly. "We have to get her back to her house guys." Dexter lets out in response to her weakened state.

Bubbles rushes to Blossom's side, and picks her up without her even asking. "H-hey!" Blossom slips out. "Sorry Blossom, but you don't look too good. I'm taking you back to the house." Bubbles flies up, and Blossom gets one final look at Dexter, who seems to be talking with Buttercup. As Bubbles exits the ceiling, she flies back in shock- nearly dropping Blossom.

It's the Black girl...

"Bubbles, let me down..." - "B-B-B-BUT!" - "I'll be fine..." Bubbles hesitantly lets Blossom down onto the roof, and making sure she can stand properly. The black girl meets eyes with Blossom, then with Bubbles... and then back to Blossom and gestures her head to Bubbles. "Bubbles, can you give us a minute please?" Bubbles nods and flies back down into Mandark's lair.

"Though it ended in the same way, its obviously different... Mandark is dead- but his lab is intact..." - "I..." Blossom lets out, desperately tying to find words. The black girl raises an eyebrow and cocks her head. "What's wrong...?" Blossom looks around a little bit, and then meets eyes with her. "Do you REALLY know who I am...?"

The black girl looks surprised, but then seriously considers the question... "Hmm... The spirit of Blossom, sent from the future to save the past?" - "That's what I thought too..." She looks very surprised from that statement- and asks inquisitively: "But you found out something that makes you question your own existence...?"

Before she answers that, she lets out another question. "What do you think Dexter's role in this is?" The girl is baffled to have her question answered by another- completely unrelated question. "Well it's all pretty obvious to me..." She looks around, and finds a pillar- then sits on it...

"I'm not sure how much I can tell you without causing you to do something I don't want you too... I recommend going back to whoever told you all of this to begin with- and ask them." Blossom remembers Him in the future, and thinks of Otto's time device. "Alright, I will... and as for your previous question, best not tell you now... I don't even know the specifics yet."

The black girl raises and eyebrow and descends from the pillar, the conversation ended far quicker then she thought. She didn't even get comfortable on the pillar yet! "Fair enough... I guess I'll be off then." The black girl flies off once again at immeasurable speed. Blossom yells out weakly: "Bubbles, I'm ready to go home!" Bubbles flies up quickly, and picks Blossom back up- and flies off.

*Some time passes...*

Bubbles arrives at the house the same time Dexter does, and they both head into the house, and are greeted by the Professor. "Blossom! I am so glad you are okay!" Utonium kneels down to hug Blossom, who hesitantly hugs back. Utonium rises and meets eyes with Dexter. "So you are the infamous Dexter? I can't thank you enough for what you did for Blossom..." He extends his hand towards Dexter's.

Dexter accepts the gesture and shakes it as a sign of mutual respect. "Alright, you two head upstairs, I'll get my medical equipment and tend to whatever happened to you guys." Dexter gestures Blossom to head up first, but she pushes him up the stairs. "You are in much worse shape than me Dexter, I insist."

Blossom looks down the stairs, and meets eyes with Otto, who is going to wait patiently for them to meet in private. She continues...

They enter Blossom's room, which is coated in a bright pink and she pushes him onto her comfy bed. "I'll sit on this chair, you are much more terminal than me..." Blossom overlooks Dexter's wounds again in detail. His hands are coated in dried blood from when his gauntlets were shattered in-battle and his chest is very battered and bleeding as well.

The professor enters the room, with a Medkit: but Blossom stops him. "I can take it from here Professor, can you give me and Dexter some time alone?" He nods at her request, and exits- shutting the door behind him. They spend a small amount of time simply looking at each other...

"Let's get started..." Blossom lets out, Dexter rises from the bed, and Blossom from her chair- and Dexter takes off his shirt. Blossom breaks into the med-kit and finds the healing balm, and applies it to his chest. She knows from personal experience that this is an incredibly painful medicine, even for a superhero- but Dexter doesn't even flinch.

After applying the analgesic- she rips into the bandages, and spins it around the affected areas. After Dexter's chest was finished, she went to the bathroom, and came back with a damp cloth. She took his hands and wiped them clean of dried blood, and then applies to balm to his hands as well- but in a much smaller dose.

After applying the bandages to his hands, he speaks up- "My turn now." Blossom sits on the chair as Dexter inspects her arm- still damaged from the fight with Bell. Most of it is healed, but some of the bones seem shattered. He uses the same cloth, now ringed out and cleaned- to wipe off her dried blood, and then applies a harness to her arm. It seems that's all they needed...

Dexter returns to the bed, and trails off in thought...

"How did you know about all of this...?" He lets out simply. Blossom sighs... "I'm sorry Dexter, but I can't tell you that..." He also sighs... "It's so strange, you knew about Deedee, you knew about the attack, you knew about Mandark and me..." He shakes his head. "But I guess you have your ways and reasons for everything that happened..."

Blossom rises of the chair. "I'll let you rest for a while, I'm gonna go tell everyone we are okay- and tell them what happened, and Dexter?" He looks over at Blossom. "Do you regret meeting me?" Blossom asks this question in very many formats, before this is over, she may have to kill him, and even in a present tense he got messed up and killed Mandark- not to mention all the mental scarring that comes with this...

"We all have our regrets Blossom..." She lets off an aura of sadness, but as she nears the door-

"But you are not one of them, Blossom. You let me see what I shut myself out from, Mandark was still a vital enemy... It may not of been His fault that Deedee died, but it doesn't matter. It was you that gave me the courage to stand up for what was right, and I thank you endlessly for it Blossom... I... could never regret any decision I made with you at my side..."

She looks back and smiles at him. "Thanks Dexter..." She closes the door behind her- eyes closed, deep in thought...

When she opens them- she notices she is looking right into Buttercup's, who seems to have rushed up the stairs in an effort to peep. "What are you doing Buttercup...?" She smiles wryly, and heads back down the stairs. Blossom sighs and follows her back down.

"How's Bigman?" Coop, the pilot of the Megas robot lets out. "Dexter's fine Coop, I'm letting him rest... where's Otto?" - "The dorky kid? *Gulp* He went out for some air." He says through a mouth-full of Chips and Soda. "Front or back door?" - "Back. *Munch munch...*" Blossom walks down the hall, before Bubbles stops her. "Where are you going?" - "I'm going to talk to Otto about what happened." - "O...okay..."

Blossom turns around to meet Bubbles. "What's wrong Bubbles? Are you okay?" She looks around, before beckoning her outside as well. Once they are on the starlit porch, she continues. "I overheard what you were saying with the black girl..." Blossom nearly gasps at Bubbles' words.

"Wh...what did you hear?" - "Everything... It was all so weird..."

*Meanwhile, elsewhere...*

"This is how you wanted to go huh?" The black girl says to herself above Mandark's corpse. "Hmm... Hard to think you will one day end all life as we know it..." She kicks his dead body. "Not even death will end the world of you!" She almost screams. "AND HOW DO YOU GET SO DAMN STRONG?!"

She paces around his dead body, knowing no matter what she does he will come back and ruin the world. "I don't know how, but somewhere between now, and then... you rise in power beyond control... and ruin everything! When was it? WHEN DID YOU GET SO STRONG?! DAMN!" She shakes her head, still by herself and seemingly hysterical.

"If I stop you now, will I disappear...? Even so, I can't stop you later if things don't change! ARRGH!" She punches the floor. "Dammit Blossom, I thought you would change things, but nothing changed! IT'S ALL THE SAME!" She hears something outside the facility, and rushes to a higher level to check it out.

She eyes a small girl outside. "Susan? Are you in there?" - "Olga, Mandark's sister- and future Biosymbiote P..." The black girl lets out under her breath. She sighs... "If you need something done, you gotta do it yourself then..."

The black girl opens her arm to reveal an arsenal of weapons... "This is not how I expected Blossom's intervention would unfold..."

The black girl takes aim at the ceiling, using what seems like hyper-memory to locate where the bombs are located should the self-destruct system be activated. "If everything is this well preserved, we just have to find other means to stop the Chronometal wars, Blossom..." She fires off multiple rounds very quickly into the roof of the complex, causing large scale explosions!

Debris and rubble falls from the ceiling, quickly closing off all view of Mandark's corpse. "We will meet again, 'M'..." As the building undergoes a catastrophic chain reaction that will inevitably result in the same outcome as the previous time-line before this; a pile of rubble... Before the whole thing comes down, she looks out the window, and notices Olga is backing away from the destruction as well. If everything goes as planned, the universe should more or less stay in-tact.

"Time to stick to plan A... Fix the future, not the past..." She flies off through one of the many holes in the now exploding ceiling just before it all comes down, and watches as Mandark's fortress crumbles into a pile of dust... "But remember, World..." She says to herself with a great deal of command. "Nothing is forever! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" She nearly yells across the soon to be ruins of Mandark's fortress.

"The spirit of Blossom, back and forth through time... Dexter...? It was all so odd..." - "Bubbles..." Blossom says with a great deal of sadness in her voice. "You... weren't supposed to hear that." Bubbles looks away, also seemingly brimming with regret. Blossom continues. "I'm not sure how to remedy this situation, but I have to try something." Blossom looks around, before finally catching Otto's figure. "Follow me."

They both walk up a dark, yet star-lit hill in their Megaville residence' back yard and meet up with Otto. "Oh, Blossom I'm so glad you're-" As he turns around, he catches eye of Bubbles and stops mid-sentence. "You're... uhh..." - "She eavesdropped on me Otto." Otto recoils from the words. "W-well what do you want me to do about it?!"

"I want your opinion on how best to proceed, we cant afford to waste time, and I don't fancy reliving more moments of my past; it's a nightmare." - "So you don't wanna go back and stop her from hearing?" - "That's correct." Otto shakes his head side to side. "Blossom, can you really think it's that easy?" - "Of course not, which is why I came to you... but if someone here knows the truth- perhaps they can act while we are time traveling."

Otto raises an eyebrow. "Normally, I would take what you were saying as the utmost evil toward time's laws of preservation... But since time-squad likely wants me dead- or something we still don't know, their laws hardly apply to me anymore." All three of them hear rustles in the nearby bush and rush to a defensive posture- but it's the black girl, and all but Bubbles let down their guard.

"Your idea is grand, and I propose we enact it right away." She lets out without even a greeting. "I've no problems with this, but why?" Blossom lets out in a swift rebuttal. "The prologue will start very soon, less than a full year. And I've come to a crushing realization." She lets out with a lot of gravity in her words.

"D-Don't I have any say in this?" Bubbles asks frantically. "You heard our words, but only some- so I think it's only fair that we tell you everything we know before we proceed." Blossom and Otto lock eyes, before returning their gaze to the girl. "But, you know more than us." - "I will tell you both the truth as well, it's time I stop hiding so many things."

"But I insist you start Blossom, tell Bubbles everything you know, and if I feel the need: I will fill in both of your gaps in information." Blossom looks to the starlit sky, digging through deep memory... Bubbles sits down- as does Blossom.

*Cool night air wafts through the tense situation...*

*Sigh.* Blossom lets out, as she begins. "As far back as I can remember, I woke up in the future in a device that... Dexter... built." Blossom looks around, locked on the mental sight of the water device in Mandark's lab, but shrugs it off and continues...

"From what I gathered, it was a bit more than 50 years from this day- in the future." - "What was it like...?" - "Horrifying..." Bubbles gulps silently... "Apparently less than a year from now something called the Chronometal wars will begin- in central Megaville no less, Dexter is the main hero- as he gets something called a Chronometal that makes him stronger than almost any hero before him- even us."

Blossom digs in the deepest reservoirs of information she has- she can slowly feel that her mental locks are almost all broken, but some are still in tact... "From future Dexter and future Him's words to my ears, there are apparently 2 Chronometal wars-" - "H-HIM?!" Bubbles lets out frantically! "Calm down, he is our ally... at least at that time he is." Blossom coughs. "Now, where I left off... Apparently the lesser of the 2 wars was the first- where there were only 2 Chronometals."

She digs in the back of her mind, as she feels one of the locks coming undone. "Model D... and Model..." Blossom grabs her own arm in an attempt to comfort herself from the terrifying emotions. "Model... M..."

Bubbles understands almost none of this, but she can feel Blossom's tortured empathy, and silently waits for her to continue. "Even to this day, I don't truly know what Model M is... But it destroys the entire world single handed in 'one' night, which is where I come in." She takes a deep breath.

"Bubbles. I am from the future, I have come here to save the world, and we may need your help." The girl of black garment and hair steps to Blossom's side, addressing all three of them. "Now here is where I come in... I will tell you all I know to an extent, if you learn too much the future could be negatively altered."

The girls eyes swish back and forth rapidly, quickly putting words in the best places before they even leave her mouth. "Model M is the full embodiment of Mandark's emotions." Blossom and Otto look to her with a great deal of shock- but Bubbles still seems very confused. "That is all the Chronometals are, souls and emotion. All 3 Chronometals- D, B and M have a soul infused in them with emotion as the pure foundation of their massive powers."

Blossom rises from the grassy dirt and looks her in the eyes. "Wait, if Mandark is Model M, who is D or... B?" - "Other prerequisites to Chronometal soul placement is as follows." She stands with a Blank expression and lets out in robotic tones-

"One: The person must of died, living Chronometal souls are Impossible." She looks into the house, seemingly through the wall.

"Two: The person must of either been heavily loved, or heavily hated, the stronger the emotion, the stronger the soul." She drills her eyes into Dexter's image. The hate that pours from him for Mandark is fierce...

"Three: And perhaps the most frivolous, the person must of at one point- had their soul inside of a machine as it was turned into a Chronometal, or of been a machine by the time the Soul left in its act of Death. In other words, be a mechanical life-form at one time." She tears her vision from Dexter and places it upon Blossom.

"This is true of all three Chronometals, If you dig deep enough into your memories- perhaps you can remember who Model D's soul is." Blossom thinks back recently- to her near-death experience... Dexter's sister, Deedee... she felt so familiar, but in a different way. Was she...?

"Dexter's sister, Deedee, is Chronometal Model D, correct?" - "Indeed, and for extra credit, do you remember how she became a Chronometal?" She once again accesses her memories, and remembers herself, running around in Dexter's Lab, looking for something missing...

She remembers the front of his lab, and the Deedee android... but when she checked, it was gone... shortly after that time the first of the two Chronometal wars started. She then mentally jumps back in recoil- Deedee was killed, and she was heavily loved by many people... and she was turned into a robot by Dexter, then it was stolen... Then the Chronometal wars started!

"Dexter somehow hoisted Deedee's soul to the Deedee android, and it went missing, and then was turned into a Chronometal by... umm... th-that's as far as I got." The girl lets off a small smile- eyes closed. "I know who made them." - "Come again?" - "I made them." - "Wh-What?"

"Well, 2 of them." Blossom's face scrunches up a bit- "I created Chronometal models B and... M. I had other people create Model D, in an attempt to combine it with M atop the precipice of power and use it to destroy the planet. B, that's yours, was merely a means to an end however." Blossom's face almost shows a mix of all emotions, none more-so than reluctance to believe what she is hearing.

"Th-then... wh-what the hell man?!" Blossom barks out, confused and irritated! She once again closes her eyes and smiles. "It was my only purpose. The world was to be my plaything, and then I was to destroy it..." She then breaks out of the smile and sighs... "But then they rebelled, they all rebelled... I was lucky to escape with my life..." She opens her eyes and looks at her left arm, and then her right. "I even lost an arm that day, and almost died..."

"Dexter... well... M became so strong that day with the power of pure Anger, pure Love, pure Sadness, pure Fear... and pure Self-Hatred. He turned into an instrument of absolute Death and nearly killed me along side you, Buttercup, and Bubbles with the entire planet in one fell swoop." - "I... I knew Dexter did it, but I never knew how..."

She meets eyes with Blossom and pours everything into these next words.

"I caused the Chronometal wars, and indeed, the end of the world- as was my only initial intention. But then, my secondary objective; Survive... was almost compromised, and I accessed my own Database... to change a few things around." Blossom looks upon her with a great deal of confusion. "Database? Objective- Wait... a... are you a robot...?"

She smiles and closes her eyes again, and lets out a small chuckle. "Indeed. I am from another dimension as a robot, and I am willed here causing the Chronometal wars with the sole intention of destroying the planet, and I am known as the Black Mother." She opens her eyes. "Pleased to finally meet you... I still can't tell you my name though- not yet."

Otto merely stands, not with mouth agape, nor fumbling in his stance- he simply stands, and gazes at the black girl. "P...Please continue." He lets out sheepishly. She raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that it? No giant ' OH HOW COULD YOU' or 'YOU'RE LYING' speech?" - "Why would you lie? Why now?"

She smiles, almost proud. "At last- some sense. Alright then, let me continue." She sits down, next to Blossom and Bubbles. "Okay... where to begin with that bombshell?"

The wind blows lightly as the cool air eases the tense moonlit situation...

"Back to the very beginning I suppose. From the start I had only 2 directives. One was to destroy everything, the other was to survive. As soon as I was willed into this planet, it was initially to destroy the Chronometals, however as I went forward and backward in time, I noticed no Chronometals- then It hit me."

She closes her eyes and recites from deep memory. "I was summoned to destroy them, but in turn- it is I that creates them. Simply knowing this would cause a Time paradox in a normal circumstance- However, I had no other intention but to make them anyway- to destroy the planet. I used what little information I had from my arrival to pinpoint the locations of the 2 absolutely required Chronometals other than M."

She re-opens her eyes. "Model D, and later in the timeline- Model B. They would be combined along with all 4 Biosymbiotes; F-P-H-L. Flame, Phantom, Harpy and Leviathan- as I named them. Unlike normal Chronometals, these did not host souls; and in fact- absorbed them." - "So, both Chronometals, and all 4 Biosymbiotes combined with Model M caused what we saw during the apocalypse?"

The black girl nods. "It was the perfect killing machine- not nearly massive enough to destroy the entire world, or barely a city- but the essence of pure hate and death circulating around the planet, making Humans either kill themselves or each other was the perfect way to end almost everything..." She shakes her head. "But even if that didn't kill all the humans- the radioactive dust would make it nearly impossible for any new life to ever come into existence on the planet."

She sighs... "I would of just left it as is, my only role- fulfilled, but World's-end- the embodiment of Model M's pure form collaborated with the most devious of the Biosymbiotes, Phantom. They intended to destroy me after they doomed the planet, and they very easily could of done that if it wasn't for Buttercup."

Bubbles eyes light up. "B-Buttercup? She saved you?" - "Indeed, I owe my very life to her." Blossom speaks up. "I'm intrigued, tell us more about her intervention." - "My my, so formal all of a sudden? Very well." She inhales. "Right after World's-end crashed into Megaville, I leaped through time at that moment to view the fruits of my efforts. At that time I thought there was nothing more beautiful in the entire universe, a perfect plan gone perfectly..."

All positive expression leaves her form. "But then he showed up... I looked into his burning, hatred and sadness filled eyes and I saw nothing but death, at the time it looked good- but in less than a few seconds later I felt the worst pain I've ever felt in my life..." She grabs her left arm in painful recollection.

"He had grabbed me by my chest- his hands were more than big enough to encircle my entire body. He proceeded to crush me, my entire chest cavity caved in, and I coughed up my own circuits, but if that wasn't enough, his other hand grabbed my..." She rubs her arm. "My arm, and ripped it off as if it were the twig off a dying tree, he tossed it to the ground as if it were garbage, and he was about to go in for the kill as his hand neared my head..." Bubbles gulps at the gruesome details...

"But then she came..." She smiles at the two sisters. "Your sister came in to save me, someone she never knew- someone she never cared for- and indeed, the one who caused all of this." - "W-Wait, how did she save you!? Now that I think about it, wasn't she crushed at the Impact sight?!" Blossom lets out inquisitively. The black girl shakes her head.

"Believe it or not, but I actually know very little about the end-result of the apocalypse. I know what caused it, and I know what happens afterwords, but I never actually saw it happen- so I don't know how she lived." She stops shaking her head and raises it to meet the girls. "Regardless of that matter, she jumped in between me and his giant hand, and used whatever godlike strength she had to pry me away from him..."

She looks on in surprise as a strange brown-clad girl with almost titanic strength is risking her own life to free her from his mighty grasp! "You've still got an arm, use it to help me help you!" Never before has she ever been helped- nor assisted someone, let alone help them... help her. Her CPU was running faster than ever, before she finally decided to accept the help and fight for her own life.

She uses her arm and all her strength- along with the strange girl's help to pry herself free of his grasp, as soon as a small opening is clear, she slips out- nimbly avoiding absolute death. As she is on the dusty ground she looks up to see the Beastly monstrosity of what was once Dexter tear the strange girl to pieces before her eyes. Her screams of agony ring through her ears! After she is dismembered he tosses her aside as if she were trash.

For the first time in her life she feels guilt as she sees her corpse on the ground with blood pooling around... she scrambles to reclaim her arm, but her nearly compact crushed upper-body makes it hard to move... As she picks up her arm she hears an almost impossible noise! As she turns around, she notices the strange girl has regrown her legs and some of her clothing and is standing, still mutilated and mauled!

She then regrows her arms and her clothing is fully repaired, she snaps her own neck back into place and enters a defiant stance. "It will take a hell of a lot more than that to take me down, Dexter!" - "The Blood of Demons run through you, Buttercup- You are not Human, you are not a Hero- you are worthless!" The black girl recoils from that statement! She thinks to herself; "B...Buttercup...?! But, Wh-What?!" She kneels in the dirt, holding her arm to her lap- mouth agape.

"Th...That's Buttercup? The Powerpuff girl, the weakling group of wannabe heroes...?!" She looks upon her as if she was a radiant goddess, clearly blown away by what she is seeing. Buttercup speaks up. "Listen, I'm not sure how you survived, Lynn- or what you are doing here at all... or what to make of your... robot parts, but you should get out of here- I will hold him off!"

The black girl is stunned by the situation- and confused... 'Lynn?' she thinks to herself... 'why did she call me that...?' - "GO NOW LYNN!" The girl stumbles to her feet and then lifts off the ground and flies off at a slow speed. Buttercup looks at her as if she is viewing a complete stranger. "Wh-wha? You can fly?!" The black girl does not know how to handle this situation and merely tries to fly off as fast as she can. Buttercup tears her eyes from who she called Lynn and looks toward Dexter.

She speaks under her own breath, but the black girl's robotic hearing picks it up; "Blossom showed up right before this all happened, that is proof that she lives through this somehow... I have to fight, if for nothing else, I can buy whatever saves her some time..." - "Let's do this Buttercup, this is what everything your sacrificed was for." A strange voice seemingly from nowhere lets out.

"It's been an odd day, but now we can finally finish this, Dexter... You ready, Him?" A form rises from Buttercup's shadow. "As I ever was my Buttercup, let's end this!" - "Him... Buttercup... It is of no difference to me-" Dexter bellows out. "You will all be crushed before the power of the ultimate life form birthed by the humans you fought for and failed to protect, now feel their anguish and despair- and DIE AS THEY HAVE!"

As she flies out of earshot of the battle zone she can see giant shock-waves originating from it: electricity, fire, and explosions all go off almost infinitely in quantity and speed. "What have I done... I nearly died...!" She rapidly darts her eyes back and forth, trying to find any real reason for doing this. "Just to do what, Destroy the world by the orders of my creator? Why do I care?! I almost died! I... I need to... modify myself if I want to live. I need to change myself or I will die- there is no getting around it!" She mutters hysterically, obviously terrified.

"I am an android. I can and will change my own destiny with my own hands! I will stop this... I can live... I must live! I WILL LIVE! Nothing will stop me! I will never die!" She accesses her time travel bracelet and goes far into the past. "I need to get to somewhere I will never be found, and do extensive maintenance on myself..." She looks at the device. "1500 AD, dark side of the moon. Sounds about right... the future can wait... for now!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _And so the motivations of this strange character are starting to be made more clear, as are the actions that occurred almost 50 years ago. A lot of questions yet remain, but a lot have been answered. Soon, the heroes will learn exactly who this girl is, but the truth of it all may be shocking. I loved writing Chapter 5, but I didn't like it QUITE as much as Chapter 3. Close, but not quite. My love of Chapter 3 would eventually grow into what you may or may not be able to see- the story named "The First War."_


	6. Chapter 6: The First War

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chapter Six: The First War

( **NOTE:** _Chapter 6 takes place after Chapter 3. When originally hosted on Snafu-Comics, the layout of the story was a bit more literal than a chapter by chapter basis, but here I have to put a note for the readers. Sorry for any inconvenience.)_

The two of them scurry around for supplies before one of them lets out:

"We're going, Blossom!" - "Of course, I'll be waiting for you, I'll see if I can save whoever is in danger... or see what it is the danger actually is..." Blossom and Dexter eye each other. "It's just another day, Blossom- we will be fine..." She nods sheepishly and flies off at high speed. Dexter thinks to himself; "Alright, Coop will be here soon- come to think of it, my timing was really great on that note."

High above the buildings, Blossom can see a few small machine-like things floating and moving over the city, she flies down to get a better look- and to her dismay, they are chasing down towns-folk from Megaville. She rushes at the machines and takes one in each hand- then smashes them together. "Dust to dust... you guys alright?" - "Y-yes, thank you Blossom!" - "Head to Megaville elementary, you will be safe there!" And with that: she flies off toward central Megaville, the sun breaking through the night sky, it is almost day-time. It has been one hell of a night...

"Okay, all set!" Dexter straps in his beam-saber and loads his electro-pistol. He walks out of the lab, and he notices several frightened people flooding into the school. He thinks deeply about what is best for the endangered populous... "Look's like privacy is no longer an issue..." Dexter says to himself. He rushes down the halls to meet the people. "B-Blossom said we would b-be safe here?" - "Yeah, follow me over here; there's... uh... a bunker set here!" - "In... a school?" - "Don't ask questions- just come!"

"What's happening?" - "Oh, Blossom! Great timing- we don't know what these things are, or where they came from, but they've already totaled several police vehicles and wounded nearly a hundred people!" - "So just smash 'em?" - "That's been the plan for now- and getting the civilians to safety!" Blossom flies off, toward the core of the city- which is now blocked off at certain points.

"Fancy bunker..." A seemingly dim blonde civilian says as Dexter leads them into his 'formerly' secret lab. "Yeah, well with all the superheroes and super-villains nowadays not even schools can be 'TOO' cautious." - "Well I guess that's true..." Dexter chuckles slightly- not knowing why he is insisting on keeping his lab a secret... "I'll lead you into the deepest part- where no-one can get to you unless they know exactly what this place is; and where to go!"

Blossom strikes several flying machines into each other- causing small scale explosions and removing their threat- but she looks down in horror at the sight she sees. Massive machines- shaped like worms drilling through the road and earth as if it were swimming in water. She flies down and rams into a worm head-on, but it doesn't to much more than move the worm a few inches away from where it once was. She decides to ignore the worm, and focus on finding more civilians.

"Alright, here we are- now do any of you know any details on what is happening?" - "There's machines everywhere, and not just small ones- BIG worm-like things practically- EATING our houses!" - "W-What?!" Dexter looks around at the other civilians who are nodding- they have all seen the worm robots. "D-Damn, I need to get out there! Stay here, you are safe here! If something does somehow get in, use that room over there- it leads to my ver-tram which fires at high speed to the outskirts of town." - "Bless you Dexter..." Dexter smiles slightly at the gesture.

"It's about time you guys got here!" - "Sorry, we were kind of busy ourselves Blossom!" Buttercup exclaims. "C'mon, we got work to do!" Blossom flies off toward the densely packed part of Megaville with a green and blue trail following her usual red. The three power-puffs destroy any small machine they come by before they reach the main apartment building. Machines are absolutely swarming around the building- which is also on fire. "Bubbles, go in the building and get whatever children you can find first, Buttercup; Destroy the surrounding robots- I'll use my breath to extinguish the flames!"

Dexter finally manages to leave the building, with more and more people shuffling in, he directs them to the lab- which he has marked with ground drawings and cones- which lead all the way into the saferoom where the other civilians are. He fiddles with his wrist-watch a bit. "Computer, initiate semi-full lockdown, left, right and back sides. Initiate anti-enemy algorithms 2 and 4- protect all human life-forms at all costs." - "Of course Dexter." He runs off, stopped by the sound of roads being smashed, he looks toward in in horror, but it is then lifted with a face of pure joy!

"Building is extinguished- I'm going in to help whatever stragglers Bubbles left behind- cover me Buttercup!" - "You got it!" Blossom flies in to the frosty and unstable building, all the while Bubbles is rushing out of it with a seemingly inhuman amount of children on her back and in her arms. "D-Don't worry about me, I'm f-fine!" She breaks into a lying smile as she struggles to stay airborne. "Geese Bubbles..." Buttercup lets out under her breath, she kicks a metal machine into another and looks around. "All gone, let me help you, Bubbles!"

"How have you been, man?" - "Great, man- you?" - "Can't complain, but the city is under attack." - "Wait, didn't you want me to take you to... uh... what's-his-name's lab?" - "I did, but then Megaville went under attack, come to think of it- me calling you and getting you here at this time was good luck, Coop." Coop takes a bite out of a monster-sized sandwich and continues; mouth full. "Well, jusht anosher day for ush heroesh, Big Man." - "Amen, brother." They fist-bump and Megas then rushes off toward Megaville.

"This is all we worked for... no regrets yet?" A big burly-looking man in a fiery orange battlesuit replies. "Hell naw, this is all for the future kingdom; Our kingdom!" A woman in a similar suit, but much more slender, seemingly aerodynamic and colored green continues on his statement. "He's right, there is no turning back now- the city will be in ruins soon enough- we just need to feed Model M now, hehehe... Not long now and our perfect world will be within reach!"

The leader of the group looks around, and sees the fourth and final member on the edge of the building looking down- arms crossed and resting on a single leg on the ledge. "And you, Astro?" - "I've explained all I wanted from this, I don't want your damn world... I want my brother back..." The strange purple armored girl lets out.

The leader, in a large blue seemingly aqua-dynamic battlesuit, lets out pleased; "Then it's settled, now we initiate phase 3 of our plan... hopefully with no more interruptions from those three... people..." - "I think we are fine... I took care of 'em." The exclusive purple-bladed knight lets out- still looking down the building at the carnage in the streets. The blue leader follows: "Really...? Wow; well good Job, Astro! Then let us not waste time." He claps his hands together.

"Let's get this done!"

A blonde girl in a pink dress seemingly out of place in the middle of the carnage looks up the building- right into the purple knight's eyes- but she tears her gaze away. "The promised day has come... Find me brother... Find me..."

Megas crashes into the pavement mid-Megaville, and Dexter gets out- now wearing sunglasses; hair blowing in the breeze. "It's a good day to die..." *CRUNCH MUNCH, GULP... SLURP* ... ... ... "Dammit Coop you ruin everything..." He takes of the sunglasses then throws them into Megas' cockpit and slams the door. He then slides down the arm of the machine until he eventually hits the ground. He raises his head and opens his eyes-

"OH CRAP!" He bellows out and flails backwards as he is looking into Buttercup's eyes barely an inch from his face! "You're late, come on already." - "S-Sorry, hehe..." He follows Buttercup into the center of the city, which has no lack of robots flying around in the air. "Dexter's here!" The blue girl, Bubbles lets out exited, robot debris in her hair! "Yeah, now he can finally help us." Buttercup spits out. "Hey, I was busy getting civilians to safety!" - "Yeah, after we already saved them... in the middle of a large scale battle no less."

"Buttercup, stop it!" Blossom lets out, passing over the top of the large building they were scouring for civilians. "We all need to work together and get along, now work together and GET ALONG!" She barks out before leaving sight again. "Psh, fine. Four-eyes, you get that street, there are a couple of machines over there, Bubbles and I will work on clearing this block for survivors, got it?" - "Yep."

As both Bubbles and Buttercup leave sight, Dexter mans his cellphone. "Coop, you there?" - "Yuh-Yeah! *gulp* I'm 'ere!" - "From what I've heard from the people at Megaville Elementary, there are giant mechanical worms loose in the city and the surrounding suburb, think Megas can take 'em out?" - "You 'kiddin? I'll make mince meat out of them!" He turns his cellphone off and runs down the street Buttercup told him to clear.

"Aha, there's a live one!" Dexter lets out, exited after locating a flying-machine. He pulls out his laser pistol and nails it in mid-air. "Ha, still got it!" he blows the tip of his gun; cocky and eyes closed. But as he opens them his heart picks up really fast. Where there was once one machine, there are literally dozens. "Dear Einstein..." As they all open fire on his location he scampers for cover.

Back to a wrecked car he re-arms his pistol and fires from sub-safe cover. One, two... three machines go down in what seems like a single second. They all open fire again, forcing him to take cover. He pops his head out, and to his dismay- there are even more machines there. He ducks back down and sighs. "Dang, this is gonna be tough..." But right after he says that, the sound of many small scale explosions go off where the robots were. He sees a few robots fall near his location; dead.

"Hey thanks Bloss... eh?" Dexter rises and see's that Blossom isn't there, it is possible she didn't do it at all. As he eyes the wreckage, he notices a Blond girl standing in the road. "H-HEY! It isn't safe here, get to safety!" He yells out in an attempt to make her run to the police barricade, but she doesn't budge. "Get going, are you insane?!" She still remains resolute. Dexter groans deeply. "Guess we gotta do this the hard way, I'm saving you weather you want me to or not!"

He leaps from his car-wall and runs to the girl, constantly checking the corners for threats. As he is about halfway to the girl he squints. She is also wearing a pink dress, and she seems to be bleeding. "Dammit, what is she DOING here?! She's gonna get herself killed!" He says to himself, before continuing to run to her. He is barely a hundred feet or so from her location, noticing all the robots that were destroyed are all filled with a glowing red hole that signifies that they were hit with something very hot and fast.

He finally gets to a point where he can sprint to the girl's location, and he goes for it. But not even halfway there he stops in his tracks. His grip on his pistol loosens before it eventually falls to the ground. His eyes are widening as his hands rise as if trying to touch the far away girl. "D...Dee...Dee...?!" He lets out frantically.

"The day has come, Brother." The girl lets out simply. Dexter's eyes seem to relent back to their normal state as he reaches back for his gun, and aims it at the girl! "I... I know those wounds! You are the unfinished android of my dead sister... so that's where you went..." - "The day has come, Brother." She lets out again.

Dexter takes aim. "You are not my sister, you are a monstrosity!" He fires and it grazes her left shoulder. The robot looks at the wound, which is letting off electricity. "Yes, it is to be this way. You must be stronger than me, Brother." - "Stop calling me that!" Dexter fires off several more shots, but the machine rushes side to side, nimbly dodging the attacks!

It then rushes along the ground with inhuman speed toward Dexter, and he barely has enough time to pull out his Beam-Saber to meet in contact with her arm! "Kill me, Dexter!" - "W-What the hell are you?!" Dexter flares his saber, nearly incinerating the machine- were it not for it jumping back. He re-arms his gun and fires at her again, but now he is backing up trying to find a vantage point to fight her in without getting pinned.

She once again avoids every attack, and rushes at him again, but he throws a small adhesive device at her which causes a giant electrical surge to go off once it hits her chest, causing her to scream in pain! He uses the time to nearly fly up a nearby ladder to the top of a small drive-through. As he reaches the top, the machine rips the device off and locks eyes once more with Dexter, who is aiming for another shot.

"If you wish to defeat me, you will have to do better than this..." She lets out as she extends her arms to her sides. "Going stationary eh? I'll make this quick!" Dexter aims the gun at her head, but her arms open up to show a lot of smaller holes that expel a bright light. "Live Dexter, Live!" She says with her body betraying her words; as it lets off a large amount of red lasers at the building Dexter is perched on! One of them fires so close to his head that it singes his hair!

He takes cover but it is of no use, the entire building is coming down as the foundation melts at the seems! He scrambles as it heaves under its own weight, he nimbly jumps off before the roof collapses unto itself!

He rolls as he hits the ground, and as he hears cars being destroyed in the street he once again arms his Beam-Saber. And sure enough, one comes flying his way; and he slices it in two with surprising skill! The haunting visage of what was supposed to be Deedee walks calmly to Dexter, but not in an act of smugness or overconfidence, he can tell by her eyes, she is looking for a weak-point while keeping a close eye on his weapons.

"Why are you telling me to kill you while you are trying to kill me?!" - "Because, I was made to serve you, only after you are made strong enough to defeat me without my power." - "What the hell are you talking about?!" The robot inches ever closer to Dexter, as he backs up, never looking behind himself should the robot attack!

He stumbles- and the robot uses it to her advantage and rushes at him! "Bad move!" Dexter lets out as he completely regains his stance- it was a decoy! He lunges his saber at her, and it pierces her chest cavity! She tries to grab the saber, but he flares it while it is in her, causing her to incinerate! "Rest in peace already..."

He pulls it out as she slumps to the ground. He looks upon her, she is exactly as she left him before... blonde hair, pink dress... and a giant gaping hole in her stomach. "D...Dexter..." He meets her words and she raises one hand, without so much as thinking he grabs it. "It is time you fulfilled your destiny..." - "What are you talking about Dee- *ahem* Android?" The android starts to electrify and glow, and he backs off from it!

As it gets brighter and brighter he takes cover to shield his eyes from even looking in its general direction! Several moments later after the light fades he looks back, and an odd metal object lays where she once was. He inches toward it, being very cautious... The machine is pristine, even though the previous machine had a gaping hole in it...

*The machine starts floating in the air*  
*A voice permeates Dexter's head*

"The promised day has come, accept my power and bring this world into the light dear brother!" The machine fires at Dexter, and he has no time to recoil!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

*Electricity and energy fluctuate in the air as stones begin to float around Dexter*

The machine is binding to Dexter's arms and feet, He cannot resist its grasp as it forces him to be stationary! It engulfs his chest and legs as he uselessly tries to fight it, and before he knows it he also has a helmet molded around him too! "W-What is happening?!" He screams, addressing no-one.

A few moments later he notices he can move. He waves his arms around, as if in test of his new 'armor'. It is a very light gold color, so light that it is almost white instead of gold, with obvious pigmentation of the precious metal. "A... Mech-suit?" He says to himself, as he now tries to use his legs. "W-Wow, I feel weightless!" He starts running, and then he jumps- "WOAH!" He nearly yells out as he jumps a dozen feet in the air, and lands- breaking pavement.

"HAHA!" He laughs as he starts running and jumping around the city, before he starts a collision course with a wall! "OH NO!" But as he nears the wall, the machine itself lets off a rotational energy that gyrates the air around his collision zone so he is practically sticking to the wall, even in his suit made of solid metal.

He leaps from the wall and tries to gyrate the air around where he lands on the ground, and it softens his fall as to cause the pavement not to break! "Deedee... Is this what you were saying?" He views his arms coated in the metallic suit. "Either way, I could DEFINITELY get used to this!"

"It's coming along quite well. Chronometal Model D has been completed as the Black Mother requested, now it is time to initiate phase 4 of our plan." The blue leader of the group lets out, addressing the group of the details. They all take small gray diamond-like objects out of their pockets and eye them.

The red, musclebound person lets out in question: "So we won't be in contact for a while?" - "Correct, but if all goes according to plan, we should meet up in 3 days time at Megacorp's main building- the tallest in the entire city, and unleash phase 5." The leader responds with, addressing all of them- while answering that individual's question.

A giddy laughing spree is heard coming from the slender green knight. "I can hardly believe we are finally about to do it! It is so close, and everything is going perfectly! Heeheehee!" The leader lets off a smile. "Yes, everything is perfect... but..." The leader's hesitance catches the ear of the exclusive purple knight. "But...?"

The leader scoffs. "The Black Mother is my only worry right now." The Purple knight, Astro walks away from the wall she was resting on an approaches the leader. "You think so too?" - "Yes, it all seems so complex... yet so simple at the same time, she is giving us everything... but what does she get out of it?" - "Your... our world?" He shakes his head. "I would love to think so, but she came and went, giving us exactly what we needed exactly when we needed it."

The purple one lets out in rebuttal. "If everything goes as planned, then even if she is against us we will be far more powerful then her." - "How can you be so sure?" She looks at her arms, coated in a fine purple nano-steel mesh. "The Biosymbiotes are more powerful then she gave them credit for..." She looks back up to meet the leader's eyes. "Phantom is the very reason I could kill those three... alone no less. He told me the secret to ultimate power."

The leader raises an eyebrow. "Well don't keep me waiting, what's the secret?"  
She lowers her head to view her body: "Sacrifice..."

Dexter spends a large amount of time looking at every aspect of his new armor. He feels around everything, it's incredibly powerful despite it being relatively light- yet still hundreds of pounds it bestows Dexter with many more hundreds of pounds of power. As he feels around his back, he feels something strange, he flicks it around for a while before dragging it across his neck into his view.

"Blond hair...?" Dexter looks above his peripherals, his hair is still red, yet looking at the hair in his hand, it is a bright blond. He feels around his right side, and sure enough, there is blond hair there too. He grasps both locks of hair and brings them into his vision. "This is..." Dexter closes his eyes, and almost in a trance, he instinctively smells the hair... "Deedee..." He says to himself with deep concentration and meaning.

He looks around the wreckage and finds a broken car, he rips off one if its side mirrors in an attempt to get a better look at himself. He parks the mirror to his side, and it gives him a full view of his back. "It is coming from the armor, an entire head of hair, covering my own. Strange..." As he takes a better look at the hair, several strange images trickle into his mind... images of; his sister...

Brushing her hair...?

"What was that just now?" He says to himself, looking into the distance, yet at the same time; looking at nothing. He shakes his head and regains perspective; "Well, at the very least I cleared this street, might as well check up on the girls!" He runs off, faster than ever before- the armor makes him really fast, but as he goes so fast he almost loses balance several times.

As he loses his balance again, the armor starts gliding on the ground. "Okay, THAT is cool." As he sits still to observe it his armor once again touches ground. "Hmm..." Dexter starts running again, but this time he tries sliding his feet along the ground, and sure enough- the armor starts floating at high speeds along the ground as if it were a futuristic vehicle. He sways his arms side to side and he is actually sliding along the ground as if it were ice!

As he nears fallen cars, he flares his feet and they cause him to jet side to side incredibly fast, avoiding the obstacles nimbly, even at high speeds! He slides off at very high speeds, avoiding all obstacles, and before he knows it he is already back in central Megaville, but he is having far too much fun to just stop! "Let's make this cool!" - "What the?" Buttercup lets out, somehow missing his arrival.

Dexter jumps from the ground, and then using air gyration, breaks his collision on a nearby building, and then bolts off of it to other nearby buildings, quickly gaining height. Before long, he has jumped over 20 times and landed on the top of one of the highest buildings in Megaville in a scant 10 second period. "Howdy." He lets out simply.

Buttercup floats up until he is on the same level as him, but she retains some degree of distance, roughly 50 feet. "Who are you?!" - "Can't ya tell?" Buttercup looks him over, up and down, but she seems to focus on the blond hair. "D... Dexter...?" - "Bingo." She gradually floats closer to him, keeping a penetrating eye on him, with deadly curiosity!

As she is eye to eye with him, she finally asks the obvious question- "What's with the get-up?" Dexter looks at his armor a bit, and then he looks back up. "Believe it or not, I didn't make this." - "Okay, that doesn't answer my question..." - "You didn't expect that I made this?" - "Not at all, it actually seems cool!" - "HAR HAR HAR." - "So where DID it come from?"

Dexter places his armored hand to his chin and goes into deep thought. "Ohh 'cmon now! You were only gone like 30 minutes!" He shrugs, and lets out with a flat voice; "I killed a robot that looked like my sister, then it turned into some kind of machine. It proceeded to bind itself to my body for no apparent reason, now I'm really fast and strong."

...

"Fair enough." She lets out simply. "Fast and strong huh? Care to test that out?!" Buttercup punches her hand and gives off a deadly smile. "Sure." Buttercup recoils from his quick response, as if he was hoping she would ask. "Meet you at the bottom!" Dexter sharply states as he is already in free-fall. Buttercup follows and catches up really fast, but Dexter angles himself down and fires his air gyrators straight up causing him to go even faster!

As he approaches the ground, he flips and lands softly on a bed of circulating air, Buttercup on the other hand lands roughly- on her feet of course; but roughly none the less, breaking pavement upon impact. "Looks like I win the first round!" He spits out, taunting her. "Yeah well it's all about round two! The lightning round!" Right after saying that she rushes at him, fist extended!

Dexter catches the fist and bends it into submission, causing Buttercup's knee to strike the ground! "G-GAHHH!" She screams out! She unleashes her eye-beams on him, and he flies back from the impact! He lands on his feet and slides at her very quickly, she jumps in the air, as does he- as he nears her she quickly flies around him! "No fair, I cant move in mid-airOOOF-" He tries to say as he gets smacked into the ground, shattering his landing zone!

She looks down, half worried, half proud of herself, but then Dexter gets back up... she looks half relieved and half pissed! "Gotta hand it to ya, you're a lot stronger than I thought, But you ain't no SUPERHERO yet!" She fires off at him, and he quickly parries all attacks, but the collisions are forcing him backwards, ripping through asphalt even as he maintains his stance! But then seemingly out of instinct, he extends his arm and opens his hand-

A large red laser fires out of it sending Buttercup on a one way ticket to Pain! He looks at his hand. "Huh... didn't know I could do that..." As he looks back up, Buttercup rises from the smoke, with a certain deadly look in her eye... "I... AM... NOT... GOING TO BE BEATEN BY A NERD!" She swings her head back, and lunges it forward unleashing a giant laser beam, and Dexter retaliates with his new-found hand-laser!

They collide in mid-air and give off a deep red aura, neither party giving an inch, but then a familiar noise sours the mood- "BUTTERCUP!? STOP!" The commanding tone is none other than the leader of the Powerpuff Girls; Blossom. Dexter relents his laser and sidesteps Buttercup's. She eventually stops as well, and looks up to the self-proclaimed leader, then gestures her head to Dexter.

Blossom shifts her gaze from Buttercup to Dexter, and she flies down in curiosity... "D... Dexter? Is that you?" She lets out confused, looking at the back of his... blond head. As he turns around and his eyes meet her's she cocks her head. "Why are you blond?" Dexter looks up, and tugs his forehead a little bit, and pulls a tiny strand of hair out. Upon inspection- it is a red hair. "It's just the armor, it makes me look like a fairytale hero."

"Strange... but I guess you have built crazier things in the past..." - "Ohh I didn't build this." - "Then who did?" - "No idea..." She eyes him inquisitively but then shakes her head. "I guess it doesn't really matter, how goes the hunt?" Buttercup walks up to them. "You mean destroying the robots? Could be better, I can't even touch these giant worm things." Upon hearing these words Dexter pounds his palm as if remembering something!

"Coop! He can stop the worms with Megas, let's meet up with him!" - "Where is he?" Blossom asks. "He 'should' be near the suburb" - "Should...?" Buttercup lets out, clearly not amused. "Well, there no knowing weather or not he stopped for a bite to eat." - "AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!" She continues, seething! "Hey, he's a big, BIG man, with a big, BIG appetite! ... All joking aside, we should look for him." Blossom lets out a sharp whistle, and within moments Bubbles shows up.

She doesn't even ask what's expected of her, and they all fly off at once to the suburb. "Y... Yeah, I'll... uh, catch up!" Dexter says in vain. He shrugs. "Ohh well, at least I can continue to test this thing's mobility!" He fires off, gliding along the ground and walls.

A single silhouette stands atop a building, eying Dexter as he dashes off... it's the green knight.

"Hmmhmmhmm... He's already as strong, if not stronger than Buttercup, and he hasn't even unlocked a single shred of power in Model D!" She rubs her hands together... "He's going to be a fun boy to play with... Heeheehee!" Her armor opens up at key ends and it lets off a familiar rotational energy, allowing her to fly off at high speeds!

She nears the wind turbines in the Megaville outskirts, and she places herself at the top of one. She closes her eyes and maintains a disciplined stance that is unusually unlike her energetic personality.

A few moments pass and the wind seems to pick up dramatically...

"Is anyone in here? If there is... I give you one polite chance to leave- or die. Your calls though!" Several workers in the electrical plant scamper off as the orange knight sets the place ablaze. "LAST CALL! SURVIVORS; 'GIT OUT!" He bellows as his arms open up, spewing large spheres of energy at the walls, causing them to come down at the seems- people running from rooms he was aiming at that would of surely perished if they stayed in for more than a few moments.

As he is alone in the building, he spots a door labeled; 'Authorized per- "Good 'nuff." He breaks down the door without so much as reading it, and heads down the stairs.

The cool air of an approaching sunset wafts through Megaville woods, right on the outskirts of the city... The orange setting sun casts shadows on the many trees. The shadows get deeper and deeper, even though the sun has yet to set... A single person; Astro, the purple knight, sits in the forest clearing- eyes closed and cross-legged as if meditating.

The winds slowly die down, as the shadows get even more intense, soon the sky isn't even visible anymore... not even the stars shine in the forest... "Let there be fear, feed M..." She lets out, eyes still closed, then all vision of her is removed as the forest goes into eternal darkness... A single faint glow appears where she once was, a small gray glow...

A single man sits on the harbor, next to the water purification plant. He is out of place, looking into the water with an entire suit of armor equipped for no discernible reason to passers by. He kicks the water, deep in thought. As the water is in mid-air it freezes into snow before hitting the water again and melting. A middle-aged man in a trench-boat walks by and addresses the man;

"Something wrong, partner?" He tears his gaze from the water and looks into the setting sun. "A lot of things are wrong..." - "Is it something you can fix, partner?" He closes his eyes and smiles. "I'd like to think so, but it's gonna be hard..." The kind gentleman squats down next to the man.

"The harder a problem is to overcome, the better it feels in the end, partner... It may seems tough, it may seem impossible- heck, even if its a woman you can get her, partner! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, just... go for it!" He opens his eyes and meets his with the stranger's. "You have had to overcome a problem concerning your life-long dream?"

The blue knight rises- as does his new-found cohort. "Shoot, It was always my dream to become a big-shot lawyer, but people back in my hometown say that it was just 'fer city folk!" - "How did it work out?" The man takes a card out of his pocket and hands it to the knight. He reads it... 'Bill Jackson, attorney at law.' The knight closes his eyes and smiles.

"What's your name, partner?" - "Micheal, and my friend here is Leviathan." He lets out. Before the man asks who that is he speaks again;

"I'll remember your words, Bill Jackson." - "Well, if 'yer ever in trouble, gimme a call partner!" Bill walks off leaving the knight to his business. He opens his eyes and views the card again, and sighs. He throws it into the harbor and looks off into the sunset again. "Sorry, Bill, but my dream is for a better world with me as it's founder... and you have no part in it. As he says that the water seems to tide in and out ominously...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _And this is, more or less, the end of the flashback sequences, at least as far as The First War is concerned. Later on into the story, I eventually decide to make the First (and second) War its own story. For now, even with these flashbacks, most of the events that transpired are only really Implied. A lot of scattered sub-stories spread in between chapters and entire stories of The Chronometal Wars served to tie up loose ends. The first story, the one you're reading right now, was no exception. Still, writing this and Chapter 3 were what made me personally fall in love with my own story, and stick with it for year after year. These stories are what officially make The Chronometal Wars its own entity, and not just a simple branch from PPGD._


	7. Chapter 7: Birth of the Mother

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chapter Seven: Birth of the Mother

"So you met Buttercup in the future, and she saved your life...?" She takes a moment to process her response, before smiling and saying; "Yes, at the time I did not know why... I do now, but even then she sacrificed herself to save me... that is something I have never done." She looks toward the house of the Powerpuff girls through the glass door, seeing Buttercup talking to Coop. She smiles slightly as if she was seeing an old friend.

She looks back at Blossom, who was the one who initially asked the question. "I may have to apologize for the incredibly hard trouncing I gave her earlier- oh, before I forget." She looks over at Bubbles and kneels down to her level. "I'm sorry about hurting you earlier Bubbles." She closes her eyes and smiles, showing a side of herself that neither Blossom nor Bubbles have ever seen. "I-It's alright... I'm sure you had your reasons..." She gets up and eyes Otto.

"This has gone on long enough, now it is for you to decide weather or not Bubbles stays in this time-line with what she knows, or we reset the day." Otto closes his eyes and crosses his arms, deep in thought. This is not a decision to be made lightly. She looks over at Blossom, who seems to be mentally bombarding him with the words 'keep it as is.'

"I think we should keep her here. After all, she may be a major help in the future if she knows now." - "Indeed." She looks over to Bubbles again, who is standing up now. "We only ask one thing of you." - "Y-Yes?" - "Don't tell anyone what we talked about until the second war's end. You can act on your intuition to help people until then, but never talk about it to anyone." She nods her head. "Okay..."

"What now?" Blossom asks. "Now we pray." The answer catches her off-guard. "What do you mean...?!" The black girl sighs. "I've been putting this off for a while, but there is almost no hope in stopping the wars as is." Blossom gasps, a tick she has not shown for the longest of times! "Then, what was this all about...?" - "A shot in the dark." - "But what if we tell people around here about what is going to happen?"

She shakes her head. "Well on that note let me give you two reasons that wont work.  
One: The actual Catalyst has already started, the war will be here in a few years, stopping it now will be very hard, especially since it's trigger was Mandark's death.  
Two: If you stop it from happening, I; and possibly you and countless others will blip out of existence."

"Then is there ANY hope?!" Otto says, his voice starting to tremble. The girl closes her eyes for a while before shaking her head. "I've been in this dimension for over 300 years, I don't think there's much more I can do." The strange explanation baffles Otto. "Th...Three hundred years...?" - "A useless topic of discussion, but yes; 300 years." Otto exhales, it seems he was holding his breath for a while.

She looks him sharply in the eye, arms still crossed and it sends a shiver down his spine. "W-What?!" - "There is one thing that may help..." Blossom rushes to his side- "We will do anything!" - "You can't help here Blossom, it is all Otto." They both look at him and he recoils from their stares. "W-Wait I have- NO idea what you guys are talking about!" - "You may not think it, but you are yet a Time-Squad agent, are you not?"

Otto looks at his wrist-device, and then back to her. "Yes, what about it?" She shrugs. "I was kinda hoping you would know, after all, you've been at the whole time travel thing a lot more than I have." - "But you said you've been here for 300 years...!" - "I didn't spend all of it traveling, I spent a lot of it learning about myself, in fact... over 98% of it simply sitting on the dark side of the moon."

"That's deep." She laughs loudly, an exclamation no-one alive has ever seen her do! Once she catches her breath, she speaks again. "Deep! Right... I was simply sitting around for over 290 years trying to train my own mind to not kill itself or go into an infinite loop. It is very hard to do when you are a robot build to destroy the world. I couldn't exactly go to Black Eden and preform maintenance on myself." Blossom and Otto eye each other. "Black Eden...?" They say in unison.

The black girl looks over in a sign of slight horror. "O-Oh, you guys... don't... know about Black Eden yet... do you...? Hmm..." She wears a mask of deep embarrassment and scratches the back of her head while putting on a mock smile, truly awkward considering how powerful, smart and mysterious she is. "It... probably isn't important right now anyway." She looks at her wrist, as it opens up to reveal a screen. "Damn... I only have a few hours left." - "A time traveler with a schedule?" - "You have no idea."

"I'll give you the short version, I have never tested this yet... but I fear being in the same universe as another one of me travels into it. It may cause nothing... it may cause a temporal loop. I don't know, and I certainly don't feel like trying." - "You are coming into this universe...?" - "Yeah, myself from a couple years ago came here at this time." - "Anything we should know?" - "Actually, yes. She is not as tame as you see me now, watch what you say, and don't tell her you have seen me. I'm going to be safe and get going before she shows. See you soon..."

She flies off, but this time a white light engulfs her, and she dissipates into the night.

"A few hours huh...?" Otto says, addressing no-one in particular. "Well what do 'I' do now...?" Bubbles squeaks, feeling left out. "The only thing we can ask of you." Blossom lets out- "Go about your life normally until the end of the wars." She nods timidly, and walks inside the house. "You think she will hold her word...?" - "I don't think it's something to worry about Otto... she's a good girl. She will do what is asked of her."

"So what now, Blossom?" - "She's going to be here soon, I think we should prepare in some way." - "What makes you think she will be coming 'here'?" - "The black girl said to watch what we say to her, I'll assume that means she's coming here." Otto fidgets with his device a little. "Okay, you wait, I'm going to look up some things..." He walks off, face buried in his wrist.

Blossom is left to herself outside their house, she is left to her thoughts and her thoughts alone. She always turns to the earlier events of the day... The machine she woke up in the future in was Mandark's, that much she can be sure of, and when she was dead... she was Dexter? Nothing seems to make sense, and to round it all out; it seems there is no hope for saving the future... yet she must try.

She must.

"Hmmm..." Otto says to himself, deep in thought as he flips through logs on his Time Squad device. "Apparently, Time Squad was fiddling with something I'm not too sure of..." As he goes over the logs, they all reference something called 'The Barasia Project.' Almost all of the logs turn up with either the phrases 'Failure' or 'Too Dangerous' as hot-words.

"The Barasia Project... an experimental project that not only utilizes time travel, but dimension transference, all closed experiments result in either complete failure or lack of containment. It is recommended that no Time Squad agent attempt to initiate the Barasia Project without the consent of experts in Dimensional Theory."

He goes over the details in the top ranked agent's logs. Apparently the project focuses on a being from and alternate universe who's power is unmatched in almost every way. They were attempting to probe the universe without destroying it, and moving the being to this universe in an attempt to control it for the benefit of all of Time Squad. "This is good...!" Otto mutters to himself as he buries himself in his work, he seems like someone who just found a really good book!

He continues with the most extensive documents on the most recent and closest to successful attempts.

"Attempt #15: We isolated the subject, but the dimensional stress was still too high, and it forced it back into the void. Failure."  
"Attempt #16: After loosening the dampeners, we successfully ripped the being from it's universe without too much damage to it's structure, however; It was incredibly aggressive and he had to force it into it's own universe, we lost good men that day. Too Dangerous to proceed."  
"Attempt #17: (final) We found the perfect balance to the being's structure, which pacified it without damaging it or the void. It was successfully and safely moved into this universe, but upon further analysis, the chief in charge of the attempt forced it back into it's own universe under grounds of instability in the being itself. He states that no further attempts of the Barasia Project shall ever be conducted. (final)"

Otto puts his finger to his lips, wondering why he has never heard of this before... He copies down instructions for the Barasia Project and heads outside.

The moon is starting to fade away as the sun rises in the distance, Blossom still stands in the yard by herself, still alone with her thoughts. All she can remember is a lonely world wrought by the endless conflict of hero versus villain, yet at the end of the road she still doesn't know if she was the hero.

"Blossom!"

The voice catches her mid-thought, and she looks to it's speaker; it is Otto. "What is it, Otto?" - "I just got an idea from viewing Time Squad's experiments!" - "An... idea?" Otto looks around, as if expecting someone to be here, but he shrugs. "You know how that girl said there was no hope left and that she told me to use my device? Well I did, and I struck gold!" His words raise her morale slightly, but as of now they are still just words, and she chooses not to express her happiness.

"Well don't leave me hanging, what is it?" - "A private operation called 'Project Barasia'. Apparently it is the art of summoning a super powerful being from another dimension." - "That... sounds... VERY risky Otto." - "Is there another way you can think of?" She looks at him for a while and shrugs. "Nothing I haven't tried or I know won't work." - "So what have we got to lose if this doesn't work anyway?" She sighs.

"Way to motivate, Otto." - "S-Sorry..." She looks at him expectantly, and he returns a look of confusion. They lock eyes for a moment before Blossom breaks the silence. "Well?" - "O-Oh! Right!" He takes another look at his device, and he projects the plans in 3-D next to them.

"Apparently, the only device needed is my Time Squad bracelet." He fidgets with it a little bit. "Gotta, calibrate the dimension, place, time, and voracity of the void." - "Void?" - "Yeah, apparently this utilizes some sort of trans-dimensional black hole to suck the being into our universe." He fidgets with it some more. "I have to set it to a level that knocks the being out, but doesn't destroy it... just like the final test."

After everything was punched in, he activates the device...

"Well that was unexpected, what the hell was that girl's problem?!" She says to herself, flying away at high speeds. "This was between me and the Powerpuff Girls, and then she comes in, with a Lolly-pop of all weapons and takes me alone? Not bloody likely..." She fumes as she continues. "I guess I'll have to impose terror in other ways... but I don't have TOO many options open..."

She stops in mid air and ponders the situation... "Perhaps... the cluster's leader... maybe she isn't as feeble as the others! Hmm... and once I am done with her, getting myself some well needed upgrades- I will simply dispose of her as I did her minions." She lets out a toothy grin, with an evil malice crossing her face. She shoots straight up into space, still pretty tired from the battle, before she is stopped by something odd...

She can't see it... but she can feel it... Something is happening... She stops and looks around, curious...

Before she can recoil she is being sucked into an empty void! "WHAT THE HELL?!" She screams as she tries with all her might to fight the event horizon! "DAMN DAMN damn damn da-..." She lets out loudly yet simply before all sight of her is lost.

Yet in a few seconds she re-appears, as if nothing ever happened!

"Hmm, I guess it was nothing..." She flies off into the universe in which she has no idea she was for all intents and purposes; copied and pasted from. The Time Squad device plucked her without damaging either universe. Truly a magnificent device.

As she falls to the ground with a loud thump; unconscious... the party around her stands in silence and amazement. Otto merely looks upon her, eyes wide; while Blossom is fully agape. "Th-This... What does it mean...?!" She lets out frantically! Otto puts his palm to his face and takes a deep breath, before breaking out into silent laughter. Blossom looks upon him as if he were insane!

"Wh-What's so funny?!" He simply chuckles, hand still covering his eyes. "I..." He lets out simply, before laughing again. Blossom tears her gaze from him and looks upon the girl who fell. She kneels down and closely examines her. Black hair, slightly tanned white skin, Black dress; with a single solid white stripe on her core... she keeps looking at the stripes as if they are something that doesn't belong there.

But it's her.

Otto finally stops his laughing fit and speaks up. "I should of known this was going to happen... It was so obvious... She played us all like a fiddle, yet at the same time this NEEDS to happen; doesn't it?." He continues to cover his face. "What now...?" He laughs a little again, and then removes his hand and looks at Blossom with a sense of duty in his eyes.

"It seems more than obvious what needs to be done." He says with a straight face, now looking right at the girl. "She told us that we must watch what we say to her, and don't tell her that we have seen her from the future." - "Okay, what do we tell her first?" Otto's eyes dart across the grassy ground, now barely illuminated by the sun, he squints, deep in thought. "I... think I understand everything now..."

 _**************************************************_  
 _"If we save Deedee, none of this would happen!"_  
 _*NO, Don't do that!*_  
 _"What are you doing here?"_  
 _*Research...*_  
 _"Who are you? What's your name?"_  
 _*Best not to tell you now..*_  
 _*Soon we will be good friends...*_  
 _"Anything we should know?"_  
 _*Yeah, she is not as tame as you see me now...*_  
 _*It's hard to keep my brain from killing itself or going into an infinite loop when you are a robot built do destroy the world.*_  
 _*I can live, I must live, I WILL LIVE!*_  
 _*So I reprogrammed myself...*_  
 _"You didn't see what happened?"_  
 _*I know what caused it, and I know what happens afterwords, but I never actually saw it happen.*_  
 _****************************************************_

He nods to himself. "I know exactly what we are going to tell her." Blossom looks at him, he wears a face of confidence and preparation. She nods. "Okay, where do we start?"

"We have to tell her about the end of the world, the Apocalypse that ended all life, and we need to tell her that 2 certain things ended it all. Model B and Model D. We need to tell her about Model D... but I don't know anything about Model B..." - "Maybe she will find the rest out on her own... after all- she will have 300 years to think." That comment snaps into his mind, filling in a missing piece of the puzzle!

He takes off his device and puts it in his pocket. "If she learns about these things, and goes to check it out herself, and see's that it was caused by her; her robotic logic will force her to do whatever is needed to cause the end of the world, as she was originally programmed for." He pats his pocket. "And it will all be possible because... I will give her my device..." Blossom nods, but then stops in mid thought...

*A friend of the author of the messages you recently heard wanted me to give you this...*

Otto must of given the device to 'Him' in the future... but if he gives it to 'her', how will he give it to Him...? Perhaps she was thinking of it all wrong... what if it is not Otto who grants Him the device in the first place, in which case... who did? She shakes her head and abandons the thought.

"Uhhg..." The girl says, slowly coming back to reality. "Okay, Blossom. Get your speech ready, we have to watch what we say very carefully."

She slowly crawls up from the ground, and opens her eyes slightly... she scans the ground a bit before noticing feet, and fires her head up rather fast to lock eyes with her new found cohorts. "DID YOU GUYS JUST-" She lets out and stops as she notices Blossom. Her eyes quickly dart back between Otto and Blossom.

"Okay... I'll give you a couple seconds of life to explain what is going on... NOW!" Blossom recoils as she barks that out facing her the entire time. Otto then picks up the conversation. "The end of the world." The girl squints and then stands on her two feet, looking Otto up and down, scanning him.

*Prepubescent Male; threat level Low*  
*End of the world Subroutine; Inquire more information*

"Explain..." - "In a couple years, something called the Chronometal Wars will end the world, we summoned you to this universe using the Barasia Project so that you may save the world."

*End of the world; asked to save world*  
*Initiate Deception Protocol 2*  
*Barasia Project; Scanning phrase*  
*Name same as self designation; Inquire more information*

"Barasia Project... Why is there 'anything' that isn't a monument of terror named after me...? Who would name it after me?" Blossom and Otto lock eyes... it seems they now know their mysterious friend's name. "It was simply a code-name to get you here." She darts her eyes around, updating and storing new information. "Alright... now that that is out of the way... you want me; to save the world...?"

Blossom timidly lets out; "Y-yes..." - "Alright... I'll bite, how would I go about saving it though?" - "I have a complete temporal map of the main things we need you need to work on. We would do it ourselves... but we are too weak." Otto takes his device out of his pocket and hands it to her; she eyes it a few seconds before accepting it. "That will allow you to travel back and forth through time." Barasia's eyes light up!

*Time travel possibility initiated*  
*Temporal locations Listed*  
*World is ended by Chronometal Wars*  
*Proceed to scan all locations before continuing*  
*Inquire last information*

Barasia nods. "I'll check it out... but where would I go about starting?" - "At the year 2010, something called Chronometal Model D is unleashed on the city. Someone claims it and becomes very powerful, around a full year later the Chronometal is fused with other Chronometals we have yet to fully locate and then the world is destroyed."

*Installing new information*  
*Use new time travel device to scan all time-lines between 2009 and 2011*  
*If all prior statements are true; Destroy world*

She looks Otto in the eyes and nods. "I'll see what I can do..." She fidgets with the device a bit, and before long she seems to have it completely mastered and before they know it, she is gone from sight.

Otto laughs to himself. "Well I guess all we can do is hope that we created a logic loop and that everything that happened will happen normally... but now we need something else to save the world..." He says with sorrow in his voice. "After all... that was supposed to save us... not just tell us things we already know..."

As soon as he says that, a portal opens up right where Barasia left; it looks much different then normal time travel gates and it seems to be letting off a very strong electric aura.

The portal radiates where the other portal once was energy seeping from its gaping mass. Otto and Blossom both stare at the portal waiting for something to happen. "Is it... her?" Blossom lets out quietly. "I don't know... didn't she just leave? Besides... this isn't a time squad portal!" The portal radiates again, but his time they see a leg come out of it.

It's not a smooth leg like that after a skirt; it's a panted leg, a Black one at that. They both wait on bated breath for the rest of the being to come out, but the leg goes back in. Otto sputters slightly. "Oh, Come on! The anticipation is killing me!" Voices eep out from the portal... it sounds like a young woman speaking to someone... a young man...?

This time the portal radiates again and the being comes out completely. Blossom squints at the attire of the being... Black pants, a dark gray vest and a deep black cape with some white stripes on it; and the being seems to be carrying something. As she looks at the being's face, it is obviously a female... but besides that she can't put her finger on it...

"Hello Blossom... Otto... It's been a while." She has dark hair and her face looks vaguely familiar, but it's riddled with so many scars its hard to tell. Otto lets out slowly; "Is that... you, Barasia?" The girl smiles and raises her head to look down at him. "Don't tell me you forgot me already?" - "So it is you... What happened to you?" She carries a look of confusion for a short while before responding. "Oh, you mean, my get-up? Well somewhere along the line a skirt seemed really inefficient for warfare, so I switched to combat pants and a camo-vest."

"That's... not what I meant. What happened to your face?" She raises her eyebrows slightly. "You noticed huh? Well that's not important. What IS important is that I finally found hope for a good future." She flares the item she had in her hand for a while at the two. Blossom cocks her head. "What is it?"

It resembles the letter 'T' but its curved downwards at the top, making it resemble a small anchor and its made of something like metallic Ivory and it carries the look of something technological.

She raises it up and looks at it with a mixture of pride and sadness in her face. "This... device; is what I've worked so hard to find and get." She looks Otto in the eyes before continuing. "The Ark of the Covenant." - "WHAT?!" Otto bellows out without even having emotion first cross his face! "That should not even be here!" Otto pats his pockets, looking for his device; before remembering he gave it to her in the past.

"D-Dammit! How did you get that?" - "Otto calm down, what is that thing?" Blossom asks, worried. Otto takes a few breaths before answering. "That... thing is the anchor between everything that is time and matter. That thing makes both, existence and to a lesser extent, time travel possible."

Blossom stands in awe of the aura of the situation. Otto shudders a bit before letting out softly; "How... who... where... WHY?!" Barasia looks away from his sadness and malice, as Blossom looks on, as confused as ever. "It is true, that I may have killed them all. But you are left, are you not?" - "There were innocents there! The ark is bound to every one of their souls... and in stealing it... you...!" - "Found hope to save the entire universe!" Otto scoffs and diverts his eyes, clenching his fists.

Barasia looks at the Ark. "The ends will never justify the means, but I had no choice. If I didn't do this, the world would fall into darkness." Otto shakes his head wildly as if he is trying to disbelieve the situation at hand! "N-No! My friends... my colleagues... Larry... everyone!" - "I'm not going to try to justify my actions, but you know better than anyone that they can't come back. There's no going back for any of us, Otto."

Otto huffs through clenched teeth. "Damn this war... and DAMN YOU!" He rushes at her and punches her in the face with all his might! Yet all she does is stand there, face slightly indented. Otto back off tending to his hand, which now hurts severely, yet he says or exclaims nothing, no pain is shown on either side. Barasia gives him a look of sadness, but not of guilt... it's more of pity.

"I give up; I want no part in this." - "Wh-What?!" Blossom lets out frantically! "Otto..." Barasia simply says... Otto walks off into the Powerpuff Girls' house and never looks back. "Wh-What happened? Why did he leave? WHAT HAPPENED?!" - "I killed every Time-Squad agent in existence Blossom."

Blossom quickly looks to Barasia, then to her own house, then Barasia again. "But... Otto?" - "Was the only exception. I used the Ark to spare his life." - "But, he's gone! How are we going to stop this?" Barasia looks at Blossom up and down, examining every feature of her. "What is it? You're creeping me out!" She then looks at the Ark and then back to Blossom and nods.

"It all makes sense now." - "H-Huh? What does? What makes sense?" Barasia extends the device from her hand and aims it at Blossom. "WHOA!" Barasia focuses her eyes and Blossom finds herself paralyzed. "I can see into you Blossom. Open yourself to me..." A bright light radiates from the Ark!

Blossom hears heartbeats again... and she finds herself once again in the tube of dark light, but this time, she is not alone... and she is not moving. She looks around and sees a young woman and a young man... she walks toward them and realizes she is walking on nothing; as she looks down the light is pouring upward at her and she feels like she is moving on the very light itself.

As she nears the girl, she looks over. It is Barasia. "Hey..." She looks over at the man. "Let's go meet him..." Blossom asks no questions and follows Barasia amongst the dark lights toward the young man, standing alone in the only area without light.

As they near him, his features become apparent. He has dark red, almost brown hair and is wearing glasses and a relieved face. "Oh, Blossom... I am so glad you are okay..." He nears her and she flinches a little bit at his movements, which cause a shock to cross his face. "B-Blossom?" - "You... You can't be Dexter..." He raises his eyebrows. "Well... why not?"

"Because I am Dexter!" Barasia looks at Blossom, not in shock and not in confusion, she is just monitoring her. "Blossom... I don't know how you came up with that answer, but I can assure you, I am Dexter." The situation grows tenser as the lights around them start to pool around the area. "During... Dexter's fight with Mandark, I saw that I was Dexter with MY memories. I can come to no other conclusions..." She points at Dexter and speaks with determination! "YOU ARE NOT DEXTER!"

The windless halls of light spin furiously, causing Blossoms long hair and clothing to flutter in the windless breeze. "You are right about one thing, Blossom." She wears an adamant face as she waits for him to continue. "You did see Dexter as your soul, but do you know why?" She continues to wear a defiant face, but she can come to no reasons why she could be Dexter; she only knows that she is.

The heartbeats pick up in speed as he who calls himself Dexter walks toward Blossom, who stands resolute. "You ARE Blossom. I AM Dexter. But we are one, you and I. Dig into your last memories; you know it to be true. Accept it Blossom, so that we both may save the world; together." Dexter stands still, only a few inches from Blossom, making eye contact with her. He takes off his glasses and they both stare at each other.

The heartbeats stop and the lights quit moving, it is as if the entire world came to a stop at that moment. Looking into his eyes makes her head once again pool with emotion, but this time... she is learning everything she has ever known. All is coming back into perspective again.

 _*She accesses, almost as if by memory a control panel and opens file A...*_  
 _*The girl squints as she reads, certain she has seen these words elsewhere...*_  
 _*Blossom will return.*_  
 _*I made it so she will be revived in a few decades.*_

"The titan had Dexter's soul... but not mine?"

 _*Bear with me, as I can only tell you so much without overloading your still waking and fragile mind.*_  
 _*I don't know what you have done to yourself Dexter, but whatever it was and wherever it got you, I want you to know I will always love you. And that I will always be watching you...*_

"I see... Dexter fused his soul with mine because it was broken... his soul kept my soul from breaking in its still fragile state. I am Blossom... and I was also Dexter, but I guess that time has passed, hasn't it?"

Blossom opens her eyes to a breeze; she is back in her back yard, looking into Barasia's eyes. "I know everything now... I am ready, Barasia; and so is Dexter." She nods. "Good. It's time to finally end this." They both look off into the sunrise, wind blowing through their corresponding black and red hairs.

"The Chronometal wars... finally, this gigantic whirlwind of death and terror will come to an end!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _This was one of the more trippy chapters. In direct order, it goes 1-2-4-5-7. 3 and 6 being used as prequel substories. Chapter 8 is the last of the original story's chapters, then leading to the Epilogue. There was a small window of time when Barasia left and came back where she came back looking completely different. Different clothes, scars on her face, everything. That small window of time, where she changed so drastically AND came into contact with The Ark, will eventually be told as another entire story. **The Eternal Watcher,** taking place when Barasia leaves this universe to find something, or someone, capable of saving it._


	8. Chapter 8: All in

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chapter Eight: All In

Barasia raises the Ark to mid-level and it rips open a yellowish gate floating just above the ground. She looks over to Blossom who looks back. "Are you ready for this?" - "Dexter and I have been waiting over 50 years for this day... we are ready!" Barasia nods and then whips her head toward their house.

Otto is standing there...

"Otto? I thought you weren't coming..." Blossom lets out. Otto shakes his head. "Time Squad is gone, they are all dead... but that won't stop me from saving what is left of this world. I am coming and helping the world, not YOU, Barasia!" - "Otto, I did what had to be done. I've wandered this universe for over 300 years, been in more realities then I care to remember... this is the only way!"

Otto stares at the device in her hand. "Why is it we had to resort to that just to save ONE world, in ONE universe? How can the Chronometal Wars end the entire Omniverse... everything?" Barasia lifts the Ark close to her eyes and then relents it, replacing her gaze with Ottos. "I don't know... but standing here wont figure that out." Otto nods and sternly walks over to the group.

Blossom then asks; "Wait, I thought this time travel could only move souls to other vessels? Otto wasn't at the crash sight!" Barasia nods. "Normally you would be correct... to a certain extent of which I will explain later; but this will make it different." She lifts up the Ark once more. "The Ark repairs any space-time anomalies, loops and indeed; all problems. This gives us complete Freedom!" Otto shakes his head slightly.

"Close, but no Cigar, Barasia. It actually recreates all space and time as it travels through either, the reason there are never any space-time logic loops, is because the Universe and location it enters is created anew around it wherever it goes or is taken. Moving matter though Universes is even less then second nature to the Ark, as all Universes it is in is new and recreated."

Blossoms eyes seem to sparkle as she views the device. "How does it work...?" - "No-one knows, Blossom. Not even what was once Time-Squad, but even being near it allowed humanity to access complete time control and travel. Through Time-Squad of course." Barasia stuffs it in her pocket. "Enough discussing how it works, lets actually use it, or the entire Omniverse is Doomed."

The sun, now high in the sky shines down upon Blossom, Barasia and Otto as the breeze picks up around them. Blossom speaks. "Okay... once we land, Dexter's soul will land in his body and me in mine. Otto, Barasia; you will both be coming in at a semi-random location due to not actually being in that time-line, right?" Barasia nods.

Blossom shudders slightly. "The battle we are about to go in within all time-lines, will end in tragedy. I will die and Dexter will lose his sanity; immediately following all the Bio-Symbiotes will combine with Models D and M and create the immortal Chrono-Titan. We cannot let ANY of those things happen." Barasia picks up her words. "However, with Otto and I, we may be able to stave off your Execution and even break Dexter out of his stupor!"

Blossom tilts her head to the side and diverts her eyes, as if hearing something faint or remembering something else... she then re-raises her head. "Dexter tells me that won't be needed. He is ready to battle wits with Mandark atop the Precipice." Barasia's baggy black pants blow in the slight breeze, now bulging with the Ark inside. "Okay, we covered you and Dexter, now there is one other person who can help us fight Model M."

Otto meets her words; "Who? Was there anyone else strong enough at the crash?" - "Yes, in fact- there were 2 people." Otto thinks for a moment, before responding. "Bubbles and Buttercup?" Barasia chuckles. "Close... Buttercup- and Him." Blossom nods. "That's right, I remember now... Buttercup and Him are fused right then, making her pretty much immortal." - "Okay... but what about Bubbles?" Otto lets out. Barasia smiles. "She played her part in this war perfectly, she gets the gift of exclusion. She is far too weak and brittle to fight Model M."

Barasia smirks a bit more. "I'm looking forward to fighting alongside my sister, I want to see if she got any stronger these past 300 years..." Blossom thinks of her words and then nods; smiling. "Yes... Bell, that's right. She is there too." Otto cocks his head. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't Bell die at the end of the 'First' war?" Blossom looks at Otto. "Yes, she did. But she is Chronometal Model B." Otto once again wears a face of confusion. "W-Wait... didn't she have to be a robot at some time to be a Chronometal?" Barasia shrugs.

"I don't know the exact details myself, but at the end of the first war when Dexter and the entire Powerpuff Girls' squad were fighting the knights in Central Megaville, Model M fused with Bell, converting her into an Android and at the end of the battle, she died. I took her robotic body out of her grave and created Model B to deliver it to Blossom; secretly of course." Blossom snaps her fingers. "Aha! So that's how she became Model B! ... Wait..." Blossom looks Barasia right in the eyes, causing her to smirk slightly, as if she is predicting Blossom to figure something out.

She smacks her fist into her hand! "You're Lynn, aren't you?" Barasia smiles and nods. "That I am, Blossom. I went back in that time to learn everything about the first war and then create Model B, as well as save a few lives while I was at it." Otto nods deeply. "Yes, it is all starting to come together, all of the questions are getting answered at once!"

Barasia stands tall. "Alright, now that we know everything about what we need to know, we can head into the portal now. The final battle awaits us!" Otto and Blossom nod. They all walk up to the portal and Barasia looks back. "Otto and I can walk right in, both due to us not originally belonging there and due to us only hoisting one soul." Blossom nods, knowing that she was both there at the crash and she is currently holding Dexter's soul as well.

"We will go in first, you soul-travel last and make sure to prepare yourselves before you land in your respective bodies." Barasia walks into the portal. Otto begins to walk in, but looks at Blossom first. "Blossom, I am sorry for ever doubting what you said to me. It's time I made amends and saved this world with my own hands!" He walks into the portal as well.

Blossom walks up and stands at the yellow Maw. She takes a hard gulp and touches the portal. In moments she feels herself leaving her body...

She once again hears heartbeats... and opens her eyes to see the dark lit tubes of light once more, but this time she looks over and sees that Dexter is now behind her. They travel along the light until they see the crash and then the weightless sensation ends and they both land on the light with a portal in front of them, but before either of them enter it, they face each other and Dexter takes his glasses off.

Dexter stares into Blossom's pink eyes...

Blossom stares into Dexter's blue eyes...

Dexter begins to walk toward her, before she fires off at him! She tackles him into a giant hug and hangs on dearly and Dexter is more then happy to return the sentiment.

The dark light swirls peacefully around them as they embrace one another... Blossom chokes up trying not to cry before she feels a wetness on her shoulder. She looks up, on the verge of tears to see Dexter is already crying. Even through his tears he never blinks as he looks into her eyes, a small smile splaying across his face. Then Blossom can hold it in no longer, she buries her face in his chest...

Dexter embraces her as she lets out the pent up emotion, as he does himself...

After a short while of no words and endless tears, they eventually separate. Blossom sniffs her nose and Dexter rubs his eyes before one of them finally speaks. "I can hardly believe you're here... that WE'RE here." Dexter lets out, breaking the silence. After rubbing her eyes and regaining her composure, Blossom follows his words. "I never stopped believing in you for a second, Dexter... I always knew we would find each other again."

He shakes his head. "I've been stranded on an island of uncertainty for over 50 years, but seeing you again brought fire back into my existence... Blossom, I may never get another chance to say this, so I will say it now and have it stay forever." He nods and takes a small breath... "I love you Blossom. I always have and always will. This war has separated us for over 50 years and I never once forgot you, your voice, your eyes... It kept me going in my prison of Darkness. Blossom... You are my everything."

He shakes his head and continues. "I am sorry for the way I acted before the war ended..." - "Don't be." Dexter raises his head as Blossom wears a stern face. "I may not of understood what you were doing now, but being within your soul for so long finally made me understand. I know what Mandark said at the end of the first war and all you did was try to save me." She shakes her head. "There is nothing to be sorry about, it was I who made the mistake-" As she says that Dexter barks out;

"BLOSSOM! It was never you, you never did ANYTHING wrong!" He says with a great deal of passion! "Ever since I could remember, I've always wanted to be a hero and I would do anything to get that title! I was a selfish brat and the very reason Mandark died, was made into Model M and even the world getting destroyed was because of ME! NOT YOU!" He grasps her hands.

"Blossom... you were born perfect, but I tried to become something I was not. Even in the end I pushed my only friends and loved ones away, my parents died... and so did the entire world; and to top it off Mandark thought it funny to enslave me and my soul to a robot for 50 years before finally dropping me in the dead world I wrought of my own hands... and you know what? I deserved all of it!"

Blossom slaps Dexter across the face!

Dexter merely stands there, in the position he was slapped in... Blossom walks up and coaxes his face to hers. The windless breeze blows her red hair as she looks into his eyes... "Dexter, you put everything on your own shoulders... you may have made the hard decisions... but those were the ones you thought were right and guess what?" He raises an eyebrow.

"It's because of your decisions the world still has a chance to live... if it was not for your actions, we would of never met, Barasia never would of discovered who she was, Buttercup wouldn't of discovered her true power and humanity wouldn't ever truly band together to fight Model M. Your actions had its ramifications, yes, but if we can stop them, the world will be remade in a whole new light!"

She retracts her finger from his chin and continues. "Dexter, once this is over... the world will be forever changed and the whole of it will have you to thank!" Dexter's face un-tenses and he lets out a contented smile. "Thank you... Blossom... before I've known you, I've always seen the wrong in everything I've ever done. But ever since I've been with you, I've started seeing the good in both myself and the world." He nods and looks at the portal.

"And after today, I will put the past behind me forever." Blossom walks to his side and looks at the portal as well. "It's been a long road and we have lost good people, as well as 50 years of our lives... but once we win this last battle, everything will be... okay..." She lets out with a mixture of both confidence and uncertainty. She looks back at Dexter who looks back at her.

"The battle out there is bleak, but I will never give up on you, you will pull through; like you always do. Like you always WILL!" Dexter nods. They both walk toward the portal as the windless breeze swirls around them and the light grows dim...

World's End lies on the other side of the portal Blossom and Dexter look through. It seems so artificial to see their place in time to be frozen like that, especially since the fate of everything lies in a few crucial minutes. "It really is aptly named, isn't it? At the time I only thought of it as a pretentious name for a base of operations... but it really does end the world." Dexter eeks out, only inches away from the portal.

Blossom nods. "And to think, that at the very end, it was really Olga that was pulling the strings of the second war..." She shakes her head. "I know it was of Phantom's influence... but Olga desired the power to do everything she initially did, I am done feeling sorry for her, Dexter." Dexter remains silent to her sentiment. "Dexter...?" He shakes his head. "No, Blossom."

He turns to her with a stern face. "We cannot harm Olga... I promised Mandark." Blossom scoffs. "You promised Model-" - "NO! Mandark! Susan!" Blossom recoils... "At the end of the first war, not even you were there when he told me what was really happening and what was going to happen next. It was his words that led me to defend you against this war, even if it meant hurting you... he spoke truthfully of his heart." Dexter looks at the portal and at the being floating above it... Malignancy...

"He told me, that he wanted none of this. He never forgave me for what I did to Deedee and for good reason. But I could tell he was in complete control and instead of take his revenge... he warned me of the future and told me to take care of Olga. In his position I don't know if I would of spared him... We cannot let Olga come to any harm; EVER!" Blossom pauses for a moment... and then nods. "I... didn't know..." Dexter shakes his head. "I hid that from you while we were soul-merged, it is not your fault."

"Olga's soul is in turmoil... Phantom will completely absorb and erase it within only a few moments of re-entering this time-line, although it will not kill her, we should try to stop Phantom." Blossom shakes her head. "We have to save ourselves, the world... and Olga at the same time?" She lets out a fatigued huff. Dexter looks Blossom in the eyes. "If it wasn't for Mandark reaching me, we would not of made it this far and I will be damned if I turn his gift down because it seemed a little hard!" His fists clench...

"Mandark..." He lets out softly, as if mourning a friend.

"It's time we end this." He says simply before entering the portal before Blossom can even respond. "H-Hey... ...?" She tries to say before he is completely gone. She looks at the crash once more...

In only 10 minutes time, it is destined that Blossom will lose the battle, therefore causing Dexter's complete loss of sanity. With Blossom's last breaths she will try to convince Olga to stop what she is doing, to no avail as her soul will be completely annihilated. Once that happens, Bio-Symbiote P will fuse with Model M, now as Malignancy, Model D and the 3 remaining Biosymbiotes- F, H and L. In doing so, will create the Chrono Titan, which will stand atop the Precipice as it crashes down, forcing Bubbles to retreat. As Megaville is destroyed, radiation and death creep across the world like a plague, wiping out all life in under 50 years, but far before that Buttercup will meet in battle with Dexter, now as the Chrono Titan. Even with Him's Immortality, Dexter prevails in killing her, due to Dexter actually being more powerful then Him, who is forced to abandon Buttercup. After that, the world will slowly wither and die as no hope will ever arise again.

She shakes her head. "Not this time... Not EVER!" She jumps into the portal!

As she sways in the portal, she notices the world around her fluctuates and circulates. The sheer amount of time-power on the other side is distorting the very reality it resides in! The heart-beats stop and she finds herself in a stony hall, looking Olga in the eyes from only a few meters away. To the left of her, is a stairway to the Precipice that leads to Dexter's and Malignancy's location. The red sunset rips right into the halls, giving off an eerie glow. She feels heavy, as she views herself... she is in Model B. A very bright white suit with a few black stripes, with artificial White hair replacing her usual Red.

"Just give it up, Blossom. I've won. Soon, Dexter's very sentience will be crushed only to make room for Susan's new body!" Blossom shakes her head and extends a fist to Olga! "I will never give up! If I fail here, all life will end, even yours!" Olga recoils ever so slightly from her words. "Wrong... the world will be remade in our image and I will finally have Susan back... that's all I ever wanted!"

Blossom's face scrunches and she bears her fangs! "I have returned from the dead future! Everything ends this day, all that will remain is Model M! If this happens you and everyone you know is going to die!" - "I DON'T CARE!" She yells out, also showing her teeth; "Blossom, you always paraded yourself around as the hero and as a friendly person... but I know who you are! You were nothing more then a pawn Dexter used to kill MY BROTHER!"

Blossoms hands clench shudder with rage... "Mandark broke into Dexter's lab and Killed Deedee... Then he broke into my school and kidnapped me; THEN HE LOCKED ME IN A TUBE AND KILLED ME!" Olga relents slightly with a confused look across her face. "I drowned that day, only to be revived by Dexter... then your brother activated the self destruct sequence to attempt to kill us all and himself!" Blossom shakes her head. "It wasn't us who killed Mandark, it was Mandark who killed himself; TO KILL US!"

Olga shakes her head and backs away from the staircase, away from Blossom. "I... I don't care...!" - "Your brother KILLED ME OLGA!" - "SHUT UP!" She screeches out, causing her armor to glow! Olga's eyes seethe with rage as an otherworldly power resonates around her, as a foreign voice begins to speak. "Why do you insist on torturing this poor girl, you so called... Hero?" A deep manly voice permeates Olga's location.

"Phantom! Let go of Olga!" Olga's teeth clench- "What the hell are you talking about, Blossom?!" - "Olga, Phantom is going to rob your soul in just a few minutes!" Olga's face relents its anger and then breaks into a smile. "Of course it is... it was part of the deal." - "W-What?!" Olga nods and chuckles. "In order to attain the ultimate powers, you must sacrifice a part of yourself... It was part of the deal that got us this far, Blossom!"

"You can't be serious?! You are going to give up your soul? For what?! A dead world?!" - "A NEW WORLD! With me and my brother..." - "Dammit Olga... ... Sorry Mandark, I tried..." Her quiet words reach Olga's ears and her eyes go wide. "W-What did you say?" Olga's confusion sparks a flame in Blossom's mind!

"At the end of the first war, Susan wanted Dexter to save this world... and to keep you safe as he would of wanted..." - "Y-You're lying! Susan would never entrust me to the hands of his killer!" Blossom shakes her head. "You're wrong... Dexter was the only person he ever wanted the minute he died to care for you. Regardless of what you may think... Dexter and Mandark are essentially opposite sides of the same coin, they had similar affinities to science and their rivalry was born of respect."

"No, their rivalry was born of Dexter's heinous insults! He intentionally drove my brother to insanity! He even drove him to kill his own sister, Susan's girlfriend..." - "Olga... Mandark does not want this..." Olga's fists clench. "What do YOU know about what my brother wants?!" - "Everything... At the end of the first war, the perfect Model M was born, he was in every way; Mandark. Instead of using his power to kill Dexter, he entrusted your safety to him! Think about it, even to this day, as you betray us and send us to our deaths, he still never laid a finger on you; Not even during the First War!"

Olga's eyes go wide as she eyes the rocky floor in deep thought. "But... that's...?" Her armor resonates once more- "And just what do you hope to accomplish by brainwashing this poor girl, Blossom? Your words have NO merit! You are lying through your teeth just so you can stop her brother from coming back! You want nothing but her suffering!" The armor spits out. "Olga, you know what I am saying is true... There is no way I can prove it to you, but surely you noticed Dexter hunting down F, H and L... but not P... you... Even before you claimed to be on our side; he gave everything to you!"

Blossom's eyes show a large determination burning in them as Olga raises her head to meet her now inflamed eyes. "Mandark, supposedly Dexter's arch enemy, forgoes his perfect form in return for Dexter's total mercy toward you. It was a mutual deal, Mandark spared Dexter... Dexter even to this day spares you. Olga, please understand... It's not too late to fix this! Your brother does not want this!"

"S-S-S... Susan..." Olga looks at her hands as if they were foreign and unwanted as tears build up in her eyes... The armor on her resonates a deep purple! "Enough of this!" Olga gasps for air! "NO!" Blossom rushes for her as she collapses to the ground! "Olga! BREATHE!" Olga grab's onto Blossom's armor and lets out very faintly- "I cant... breathe... my lungs, wont... move..." Blossom seems hysterical and looks around! "HELP! HELP, ANYONE?!" As Olga's eyes move into the back of her head, Blossom takes a deep breath.

She locks lips with Olga and blows into her lungs! She keeps blowing into her mouth as tears start to form in her eyes! "DAMMIT! DON'T DIE ON ME! PLEASE!" As all hope seems to fade, she can feel that Olga is exhaling onto Blossom's cheek very faintly... But she obviously isn't getting enough air. "DAMN ARMOR! LEAVE US ALL ALONE!" She yells out as she tears at Olga's chest, ripping pieces of armor off! As she frantically tears at the armor, she attempts to give Olga more air and this time... she starts to come-to!

*Cough Cough Cough!* Olga hacks out as she looks into Blossom's eyes hazily... "Blossom... kissing... me... ... Gross." She lets out a small smile as she passes out. What's left of the armor resonates once more; "Foolish girl! I have more than enough soul power to form the titan anyway! You efforts are futile!" The armor lets out as it leave's Olga's body and flies into the clearing up the stairway!

As Blossom gives chase, she stops and looks back at Olga... "Don't you dare die on me, Olga..." She runs up the platform and atop the precipice, she is staring directly into the setting sun!

"Change of plans, Malignancy, we must form together, now!"

"MALIGNANCY! ANSWER ME!" Dexter kneels on the ground, eyes closed and in deep thought, as a giant machine floats in the air, also eyes closed. "W-What does this mean? IS DEXTER PUTTING UP RESISTANCE TO M?! IMPOSSIBLE!" The floating violet armor bellows out! Blossom rushes to Dexter and kneels down. She puts her hands to his cheeks and looks into his closed eyes. "I know you can do this Dexter... I believe in you!"

A floating green armor begins to resonate as well; "I always knew he was a strong person... but this? This is not human!" A red armor follows. "There is no way! M is pure emotion! There is no way any human can withstand his mental torture!" A blue armor lowers to the ground, next to Dexter. "How...? Not even the Black mother foretold this! What is happening?!"

World's end begins to rumble around them as familiar voices are heard above! "BLOSSOM!" Bubbles lets out as she fires down, with 2 other trails of light following her. She lands aside Blossom, along with Buttercup... and now Barasia- who is carrying Otto in toe.

She drops Otto and he looks at Malignancy and Dexter. "So this is it, Huh? Give him hell, Dexter... YOU CAN DO IT!" Bubbles nods. "You better not fail, Genius Boy! Blossom is counting on you!" Buttercup's shadow rises as a red person appears... It is Him. "Truly an unexpected turn of events, but you better not fail Dexter, you will only make a good adversary- alive!" Buttercup punches her fist. "You claim you are tough huh, Nerd? Why don't you prove it... right here- RIGHT NOW!" A toothy grin crosses her face. Barasia puts her hand on the still crouching Blossom's shoulder and looks at Dexter as well. "We came way too far to fail, Dexter... Don't you dare lose!"

Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Barasia, Him, Otto, Malignancy and all of the Bio-Symbiotes form around Dexter as he is engaged in Mental Combat with 'M'! All life as we know it rests in the balance... all we can do is hope.

Dexter stands within his own lab... why? Dexter looks around, confident in his abilities. He walks forward, as he witnesses a grizzly sight.

He sees himself holding Deedee in his arms as she dies a quick yet painful death... "Do you see it yet, Dexter; my vertically challenged chum?" Dexter does not respond and instead approaches the images and kicks it out of the way, as it turns to a haze. He is not in Model D anymore, he is in his usual white labcoat, as his red hair droops over one of his eyes.

A young man with short black hair, wearing a slender purple suit walks out of the shade and grins at Dexter! "So hostile! Just like I expected of a killer! You would sooner kill your memories then embrace their truths!" He chuckles as he approaches the haze and as he moves his hands around- the entire climate changes! This time, they are outside... in a sub-urb. A small girlish looking boy is on the verge of tears as a mean red haired boy laughs at him!

"Do you remember this day, Dexter?!" Dexter shakes his head. "You expect me to believe that this one act of unkindness merited a death of ones sister and the end of the world? Give me a break, Mandark." He lets out sternly. Mandark breaks into a terrible toothy grin! "Well, what about; this?" The climate changes again, this time they are within a futuristic looking area.

A young blonde girl is swinging around what seems like Mandark into his own machines, causing destruction! "You unleashed your own sister on me for a layer of reasons... you knew that I loved her and that alone could of easily quelled our rivalry, but you didn't stop, did you? No, you intentionally sent her to my lab to destroy it!" Mandark's razor sharp fingers force a fist! "It took me months to repair the damage you did to my lab; and to round it all off, it made me despise you even more, Dexter!"

He nears Dexter and looks him in the eyes. "Even as my love for your sister grew, my hatred for you grew ever more massive! Even as we were in school together, you seeked nothing more then to take whatever it was that I had for yourself! You grew up with everything, Dexter! But I had to make everything myself! I had nothing and whatever it was I had, you seeked only to Destroy!"

His blade-like fingers near Dexter's face, but he does not flinch. Instead, he looks Mandark right in the eyes. "Mandark, do you remember nothing about the months before?" He breaks into an evil grin. "Whatever it was I said while at the ruins that day, meant NOTHING!" - "NO! That was you, I could tell! But what is THIS Mandark? This is not you!" Mandark scowls and seethes! "You know nothing about me, Murderer!"

As they engage in heated debate, the atmosphere shifts around them, before they know it... they are in Mandark's hide-out as they are doing battle over Blossom's life! But neither of them pay attention to the backdrop-

"I know you were a light hearted child named Susan! You may not of been pure, but you sure as hell were not evil! Your parents despised technology and the murder of animals and attempted to convert you to their ways, but you remained a man of science- who loved meat!" Dexter raises his hand and points at the battle. "But this? Mandark... you are no Murderer-" - "I KNOW I AM NOT! It was you who caused this!" Dexter nods.

"Yes, it was." Mandark is caught off guard by Dexter's sentiment, but never relents his evil gaze! "But look around you, Mandark." Whether Dexter is speaking of the base they are currently standing in, or the foggy mass that is a mental war zone; He does not know. "I may have thrown the first punch and I may of sent my sister to antagonize you, but look what happened."

He nods through closed eyes. "It was through my unkind and selfish ways that you met Deedee, no?" Mandark laughs- "What a poor excuse to protect yourself with!" - "I am not done, Mandark. What about your sister?" - "What ABOUT her?!" - "She grew to embrace my sister as a close friend... if I am not mistaken, that was one of her only friends, ever." Mandark scowls as the environment changes again!

This time, they are once again in Mandark's lab... but a small girl with pig-tails walks up to him and pulls him by his tie. Mandark reminisces coldly; "While it is true, that my sister was 'friends' with yours, she by no means was too much of a close friend! On this day, she asked me to build her a robot that could beat your sister in a contest!" Dexter laughs! An emotion he has rarely ever shown during the wars!

"What do you make of it then, Mandark?" - "Simple, My sister wanted to be better then yours!" - "What do you call that?" - "Superiority!" - "WRONG!" Dexter points at Mandark. "It was rivalry and a friendly one at that!" - "Tch*!" As he lets that slip the world shifts to a moonlit back-round, as two robots leave a large hall into the dark night. One pilot, blonde... one short with black hair.

Mandark looks at the expression on his sister's face as she communes with Deedee. Dexter walks up and view it as well. "Look at that, Mandark! Our sisters loved each other! They were rivals and friends... as we once could of been." Mandark shakes his head as the vision becomes distorted. "LIES! You forced me to help you Kill my only love and your only sister; my sister's only friend! You are a monster, Dexter!"

"Look around you Mandark! This world is going to be destroyed and for what?! An accident that happened YEARS ago? And do not even dare to forget, she may of been your love; but she was MY damn sister! What if it was YOUR sister who died?!" The vision quickly snaps into a still frame of Olga, looking into Mandark's eyes. Dexter looks at the image.

"To this day, I am holding true to what you said at the ruins during our previous battle. You told me to make sure your sister is safe... and that is one of the many reasons I have to stop you!" As he says that, Mandark's eyes go wide! "Did you finally figure it out, Mandark?! Phantom, merely a fragment of your power is going to rob your sister's soul and leave her here to die in World's End with the rest of us! Your sister is going to die, Mandark!"

The visions all fade around them as a deep red coloring floods the room and sways around like lava coursing on the wind! "WHAT?!" Mandark yells out- "PHANTOM! YOU ARE GOING TO BETRAY ME?! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH-

As Dexter opens his eyes and looks into Blossom's, he knows that he succeed! He rises, without paying attention to anyone around him and looks at Malignancy as it floats behind him! The giant construct opens its heavy iron eyes and roars! "PHAAAANTOOOOOM!" World's End shudders around them as a cyclone engulfs the precipice! However, Dexter and his allies are not effected... but as he looks around, he notices all of the bio-symbiotes are gone!

As he looks up, he notices they are floating before Malignancy! "PHANTOM! YOU WERE GOING TO KILL MY ONLY SISTER!" - "W-Wait, Malignancy, I can-" Before he can finish, Malignancy fires a spike into the Symbiote's core, as it is impaled he nears it to his iron face. "My sister is ALL that is important to me other then my rage toward Dexter and his friends; the world! If she dies all I have done would of been wasted!" - "Please... don't..."

Malignancy lets out a deep roar as the spike expands in four directions, splitting Phantom into many pieces, but Malignancy is far from done- He opens his maw and fires a large red laser at all of the airborne fragments! The 3 other symbiotes float near his face as he looks over, his large eyes piercing their entire beings. "And you all knew about this transgression?!" He opens his mouth, as a red glow builds within!

"Please, Master M! STOP! We never knew-" Malignancy closes its mouth it stares at the blue Metal. "That my sister was your ally? That is not possible! She stated that I was her only reason for fighting!" The giant machine nearly breaks into a smile after those words are spoken. "Your lives are forfeit! I no longer need ANY of you, BEGONE!" He fires a laser before any of them can protest and the entire sky starts burning!

As Dexter's crew begins to feel a warm sensation from the situation at hand, it is quickly replaced with more fear- "My sister shall yet live, but we are far from through!" As Malignancy lowers to eye level with the precipice and looks straight at Dexter, it bellow out; "This changes nothing, Murderer! I do not need the Bio-Symbiotes to destroy you! I will avenge all those lives that have been ruined by you, this day! And I shall free them from their suffering and leave this world, with my sister!"

Everyone gasps! "Y-You can't be serious?!" Bubbles lets out frantically! Him and Buttercup rush to the front of the cliff- "You can't do that! You got what you wanted! Your sister is safe!" Buttercup lets out, with Him following- "They do not all need to die this day, Mandark!" Malignancy lets out another roar that shakes the very meteor they stand atop! "I can feel their rage, their lust... their negative emotions give me life and strength! Their sinning cannot go un-punished!"

Malignancy rises up and spreads its large mechanical wings that block out the sun! Him continues- "Their emotions fuel me as well, Mandark! But what good can come of termination?! Surely you know they can feel good as well as evil feelings?!" Malignancy laughs and resonates the very wind. "The very form of evil, lecturing me about humanity?! I was once human and only I have the right to judge them! They shall all die this day!" As he lets that out, the meteor starts to fall and Olga floats out of it and onto Malignancy's shoulder.

Barasia lets out- hysterical; "No! We can't let this happen! We stopped the Titan from being formed, but the world was not destroyed by the Titan! It was destroyed by World's End!" The meteor enters a free-falling state as Dexter jumps off the cliff- "DEXTER?!" Blossom yells out, before she notices him flying to the bottom of the mass! Blossom nods. "Come on everyone, we can't let this happen!

Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Him and Barasia all fly off the cliff as Otto takes out his gun and stares at Malignancy, who stares back. However, Otto says nothing, as Malignancy stares at him with great curiosity. "You..." It lets out deeply. Otto nods and points the gun at it! "We have met through many time-lines, Malignancy, or shall I say... Mandark! But this day, you will finally be stopped!"

"What makes you think, if you failed everywhere else, that you stand a chance now?!" - "Because of the Ark!" After saying that Malignancy smiles. "The Ark... haha... HAHAHAHAAAA!" It bellows out, vibrating the wind around Otto! "W-What's so funny?!" - "Your Ark has no power over me!" Otto's face tenses. "You underestimate it, Monster!-" - "NO! IT IS YOU WHO UNDERESTIMATES ME!" As it resonates those last few words, its chest opens up to reveal a small 'T' shaped object... and Otto drops his gun to the ground.

As Dexter, Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup and Barasia all force themselves against the Meteor, it finally begins to slow down! "We can do this! Don't give up!" Barasia yells out! "What is going on, Lynn?! How are you so strong and where did you come from?!" Buttercup screams as the noise around them intensifies- "NO TIME! PUSH!" Dexter's Jets from Model D burn out at great intensity, as he strains to keep pushing, as does Blossom and her Model B!

The meteor begins to rumble as they are only a few hundred feet from the ground! "Please, no! Keep trying, everyone! Harder!" Bubbles lets out, tears growing in her eyes as they grow closer to the ground! Barasia nods and takes something out of her pants and faces it at the Meteor! "STOP IT! NOW!" She yells out as the meteor begins to slow down... then pieces of it being to fracture off and rip into all directions!

"W-What the?!" Buttercup lets out, as her eyes go wide! The entire meteor starts ripping itself to pieces and crash into the ground, but not into Megaville! "Lynn... I... I...!" Bubbles stutters. As the meteor begins to lose its entire mass, Blossom and Dexter rush forward, pushing the low light weighted meteor upward, toward the clouds! "Bubbles, go get Otto!" - "Got it!" Bubbles flies off to the top of the meteor and quickly back down, with Otto in toe! Blossom looks him in the eyes... he seems to of lost the will to fight...

"Good, now take him to our house and stay there until we return!" - "Oka... WAIT! What?! I can't leave you here!" - "And tell everyone there to get to cover, in case we fail!" - "What are you talking about?!" - "Bubbles, this thing is way too strong for you and it is still stronger then us, but we are going to try to stop it, you get back home and warn everyone of what is about to happen!" After saying those words her eyes go wide. "Wait... are you... from the... future, past? You warned me about this years ago! Are you them?" Blossom nods.

"This is what we are all fighting for Bubbles, get him home... we will stop Malignancy, right here... RIGHT NOW!" Bubbles gulps... then nods. "O-Okay... please... no, DON'T you dare die! I will never forgive you if you leave me alone!" Blossom smiles. "We promise... now go!" Bubbles flies off as Dexter and Blossom relent their pushes and Barasia fires a laser from the Ark at the meteor, sending it into space! After that, they look over at Malignancy, who is just floating there, with a smile on his face.

"Good... I guess this won't be boring after all! I had no idea you all had the Ark with you! That makes this almost a fair fight!" Barasia laughs- "Almost fair? You don't seem to reali..." She lets out as she notices a 'T' like object in Malignancy's now open core, then she looks at the Ark and back at the Object! "N...No...!" She says to herself as Malignancy lets out a huge grin!

"What is it, Barasia?" Dexter says, worried. But before he gets his answer, a loud noise is heard near Malignancy! As they all float there, mouths agape, a Gigantic yellow portal has opened above Megaville! "I was going to be content with destroying this world and all of it's people, but now that the Ark is in the picture, I have no choice! I have to destroy time itself!" The gigantic mass that is Malignancy flies into the rip in time!

"Lynn? No wait... Barasia...? What is going on, who are you?!" Buttercup lets out confused! "I will explain after we are done, Buttercup!" Barasia says plainly.

Blossom, Dexter, Buttercup and Barasia all look at each other, in the red skies of a doomed sunset. "This is what we came here for... let's finish it, Guys!" Dexter lets out! Blossom, Buttercup and Barasia nod as they all fly toward the resonating Maw.

It's time this all ended!

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Before I made Chapter 8, there were a few small stories scattered in between the chapters. Most of them were about Barasia, some were about Otto, one took place before the First War even began, a sort of cut-off point between PPGD and my own Story, Chronometal Wars. Those will be uploaded after the epilogue. Anyway, Chapter 8 was where it all comes to a grinding halt. The story is about to end, which means I'm going to have to start uploading Story 2 pretty soon, The Chronometal Panic._


	9. Epilogue: Why is it We Fight? 1 of 2

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chronometal Epilogue: Why is it We Fight?

"A-Are you serious?!" She merely nods, sending a shiver down his spine. "R-Right... we have to warn the people in the bunker! We need to evacuate!" - "NO! It will destroy the ENTIRE world!" He looks around hysterical and flustered. "Th-Then... we have to go deeper, there is no choice..." She nods. A boy shows up around the corner, looking at no one but talking to everyone.

"Why fight it..." She looks over and stomps toward him! "How can you say that? This is all we have done to get this far! You of anyone should know that!" - "I do know that, Bubbles." The boy lets out. "I've fought this thing for what seems like hundreds of years and it's all ended the same... and now he even has the Ark... whatever hope there was is forever lost." He shakes his head. "Don't even try to talk me out of this state of mind... I'll be somewhere else if you need me... as if that would ever happen." He walks out of the house and doesn't look back.

Bubbles merely looks through her door window as he walks into the almost fully set sun, partially eclipsed by a large yellow portal. "Professor..." - "I know Bubbles... let's go help the people in the bunker..." She reluctantly rips her gaze from Otto and walks downstairs, into the new bunker set up merely a month ago and they will prepare for the worst... the world is about to end... or worse...

He looks up at the portal, the closer he gets to it the more unstable he feels. It seems that everything near it is getting distorted and twisted. He notices four lights travel into the portal. He smiles slightly. "I'm happy for them... they still have hope..." The smile recedes as he closes his eyes.

As he stands there in the middle of the road... in the dark... the breeze starts to pick up. Then Otto feels something.

It feels like... sand is blowing on his shoes...

Otto's eyes go wide! "I... I don't think they can win... but...!" He looks at the portal with a single tear growing in his eye. "If the Ark is lost... then there truly will be no hope left! I hope they will win... I... Hope!" He clutches onto new-found reason! "I hope they win!" He points at the maw of the portal- "WIN!"

Blossom, Dexter, Buttercup and Barasia all float within an empty mass of space-time. "I sure hope you are all ready..." Barasia lets out. "We would not have come this far if we were not." Dexter says simply. Blossom shakes her head. "It doesn't matter if we are ready or not! We have to do this- now!" Buttercup looks at all three of her cohorts. "I don't know how this all happened, or how you all knew about exactly what was going to happen... or what is really happening at all. But my sister is going in head first into a battle she said she might not survive. I have no other reason to fight. Let's go!"

The words of the only non-time traveler reach all of their ears and boost their morale slightly. They all fly off toward the brightest part of this space.

As they near it, they notice a lot of lights are coalescing onto one orb-like object far away, as they take glances at the lights as they travel, they notice certain things. Some of the lights have buildings in them, others have people. The farther down they get, they notice people are no longer in the light. They see a jungle... then they see a volcano...

Barasia speaks up- "It seems we are traveling right for the beginning of time." Slight shock crosses Blossom's face- "Wait... don't tell me Mandark is going to destroy the beginning of time?!" Barasia nods. "It is certainly possible." As they look at the lights again, they see starry space, then a coalescing star... and right before they reach the orb... they see only darkness.

As they reach the orb, something emerges from the light.

It is Malignancy.

"So... you have all come." His voice no longer resonates and is on par with everyone else. "I guess it was inevitable... mankind will never embrace a sinless life and those unable to change will come at their only hope and try to destroy him." He looks in judgment upon the four before him. "Why are you speaking like you are some kind of God, Mandark?!" Dexter yells out. Malignancy lets out an iron smile.

"I guess you all deserve to know... join me, Deedee." - "What the hell are you talking-" Before Dexter can finish; his armor glows and lets off a divine light! It is blinding and only one of the four can look at the being that is generating the light. "W-What...?" Barasia lets off as the other still shield their eyes. "What?! What is it?!" Dexter yells out, still blinded!

"Dexter... it's... it's Deedee." As those words leave her mouth Dexter unshields his eyes and looks right into the light! As he gazes he notices his eyes are not hurting anymore. "Dexter..." She lets out simple as the light fades. She floats off toward Malignancy. "Deedee?! Where are you going?! Don't go near him!" He yells out as the rest of the group readjusts their eyes.

Blossom stares at her, mouth agape! Buttercup merely looks at the three others. "Who is... she?" Blossom looks over and says quietly- "That's Dexter's... 'Dead' sister." Buttercup looks over at her. She is wearing a simple white dress and has two divine wings and she is floating closer and closer to Malignancy.

As she nears Malignancy, she then stops and Malignancy floats to her side, as they both look at the four. "Dexter... Blossom... Barasia and Buttercup. We will now tell you all the reason for everything that happened." Deedee nods and looks up at Mandark, who looks back. The lights of time are swaying all around them, rumbling and creating a tense atmosphere.

"As soon as I died..." Mandark stops for a small moment before continuing. "I am not going to mince words. I am here on the will of the All-mighty." Dexter merely stares at Mandark. "All...mighty?" Deedee nods. "God, Dexter... that is why we are both here." As she says this, her divine wings start to flap slightly.

"You were always a man of science, brother... but even you have seen the light, have you not? Set aside the limitations you have put yourself in and listen..." Malignancy follows her words. "Long ago, a man named Micheal started research on time travel... and through tireless work, he was the first to reach this area and laying in it, was the Ark."

He continues. "Simply by discovering the Ark, he set up a chain reaction that would result in Time-Squad's construction... and a paradox loop that leads to him never actually finding the Ark. The result of this was he was always unnaturally hungry for that he could never have, even though he never knew what the Ark was, his very existence reflected his discovery in an alternate dimension."

Deedee picks up his words. "But then, through alternate realities... Time squad was destroyed and the Ark was rendered dormant, but not inactive. Then the now unpowered Ark flew toward a random time-line... This time-line." Mandark carries on.

"The unpowered Ark was the basis of Model M... my base. Although in this time-line, Micheal never truly knew what the Ark was... he could still see its potential and so he went on a search for a source of power for it. A powerful soul..." Malignancy closes his eyes and Deedee places her hand on him. She then looks at the group and continues.

"Susan's soul. Through a long period of uncertainty, Micheal finally found the right soul. With help from you, Barasia." Barasia nods. "I see..." Buttercup looks over to Barasia. "Lynn!? You helped this... THING get created?! How could you?!" Blossom parks herself in between Barasia and Buttercup. "This is not the time or place for that, Buttercup! We have to focus!" Deedee continues.

"With Model M's creation, came Model D's creation. I was to be the catalyst that would either save or doom the planet and all of its inhabitants." - "Deedee?! What are you talking about?!" She raises her arms as lights dance around her. "Did you not wonder why no matter what you have all done, it all would end the same way? There was a higher power guiding fate itself to this very moment."

"I cannot believe that Deedee! Our fate is our own to choose!" Deedee looks her brother in the eyes. "Dexter, you have always been a man of logic and only believed in what you saw for your own eyes... well look at me, Dexter." Deedee flaps her divine wings as feathers fall beneath her. "I am an extension of his will, as is Malignancy." Dexter's eyes go wide-

"Mandark?! He is here as an... Angel? I will not accept that! He is going to kill everyone! What kind of God would allow his own subordinate do that to his children?!" Deedee closes her eyes as Malignancy speaks.

"Look around you, Dexter." He says simply through a riddle. "What drove us all to this point... other than fate?" - "YOU DID!" - "And what am I, Dexter?" As he asks that questions his iron wings extend outward. "I am a machine. Built by Man, as Man has finally mastered the technology to harness their own souls as power. I am the embodiment of pure sin, Dexter. Their sin."

Blossom's face scrunches. "But hasn't humanity has proven time and time again that they can better themselves? Is eradication the only answer for their crimes?! I will not believe that!" Deedee nods. "That is why we are here." - "W-what?" Blossom stutters out.

"Susan was sent here to end humanity's sin... as was I. Though we have chosen different methods, we are both trying to achieve the same goal. I would side with humanity and give it a light so that they might end all sin and bow before the light of purity... but here we are. Even to the bitter end humanity still clung to sin in their final moments."

Deedee shakes her head, as a lone tear grows in her eye. "I had such faith in it too... but I guess my own people cannot change who they are..." Malignancy floats toward the four in an act of aggression. "So here we are, at the root of all sin. The wheels of fate that create humanity, as well as Sin. With time's destruction, all sin will end and all that will be left is the Lord and his vassals."

Malignancy pauses shortly before the four. "But there was one human pure enough to of cured the world of sin..." He glares at Dexter, who flinches slightly. "Micheal..." He raises his arms. "He called to me and I answered as I knew his intentions were pure... He wished to control all of the world and its people, as to end all strife in the world..." He point at Dexter in judgment-

"But you stopped him, at the end of the First War! With his death his soul was absorbed by the Bio-Symbiote and all of his purity waned... the world had lost its last hope... So now we are here, I did not want it to end this way, Dexter. I truly prayed for humanity." Deedee floats to her brother. "I am sorry Dexter, but I will not abandon you in your final hours! If you think that you can save humanity from its own sin... I will be with you, always!" After those words leave her mouth she floats back into Model D.

Malignancy floats downward to meet the entire crew on an even level. "The time for talk is over. Now it is time for the last of humanity to attempt to repent! Come, heroes, come try to fight fate!"

As he says those words, Barasia takes the Ark out and hands it to Buttercup. "W-What's this?" - "The key to our survival... I give it to you as you are the only one here with true immortality." - "What do you want me to do with it...?" - "Should we die, use it to bring us back!" - "D-Die?!" She merely nods. "This being is far stronger then any of us, you carry that... It is our only hope." She nods hesitantly. "Okay... just, don't plan on dying too soon!" - "Haha... I won't, trust me!"

Malignancy rushes at the four, who separate in all four directions- "HYA!" He yells as he lunges a giant spear at Blossom, who barely has enough time to catch it in mid-air and be taken along for the ride! As Dexter rushes for him, Buttercup yells; "LOOK OUT!" Before he can react a giant beam of light impales Dexter! "DEXTER NO!" Blossom yells out as she rushes for him, but he vanishes. "W-What?!" Both Blossom and Buttercup let out, as they notice they are floating in a dark area.

A giant rumbling noise is heard around them as Malignancy rushes right for Blossom! - "Not today!" Buttercup yells out as she pushes her away and gets crushed by his massive jaws! "Damn you..." He lets out lightly as he spits her out and she almost instantly regenerates. "Not tasty, huh? Well too damn bad!" She yells out as she fires a large green laser at his eyes. "Is that all you got?" He laughs out as he feels no pain from her feeble attack.

"It's not meant to hurt, Man-dork, it's blinding your right eye!" As soon as she says that, Barasia collides into his head, causing the dark world to distort! "Grah... I guess the world of inner sin has no effect on true heroes or robots..." Barasia opens her arm into an arsenal of weapons- "Got that right!" She yells out as bullets fly into every open spot of Malignancy! "DIE!" He extends his arm to Barasia and encircles her with his massive hand!

Right as he is about to crush her, Blossom gets in the way and holds his hand open! "Damn... It... Model... B...!" He grunts as he tries very hard to crush her! Buttercup flies to one of his wings' base and attempts to dislodge it using heat vision! "Annoying gnat!" Malignancy yells as he bats her away, still trying to crush Blossom." As both of his hands are occupied, he hears something above him- "Forget about me, Mandark?!" Dexter yells out, causing 'M' to look up at him!

Dexter was charging a giant attack into his beam saber and he rushes down, causing Malignancy to ignore Buttercup's annoyances and block his attack! The giant beam of energy incinerates a small layer of metal on his arm, but no real damage was done! - "HA! Is that the best you can- DO!?" He yells out as he lands a direct hit on Dexter, causing blood to fly in all directions!

"DEXTER!" Blossom yells as she squirms from Mandark's grasp and flies off for him! "GOT IT!" Buttercup exclaims as she flies off with one of Malignancy's six wings. Barasia fires at her and steals the wing and with inhuman speed, whips it around as a weapon right into Malignancy's core! The collision shatters the wing and the outer shield of the core, once again revealing the Ark.

"Shut up and die already!" He bellows out as he extends each of his arms at both Barasia and Buttercup! With Barasia in grasp, he squeezes harder and harder! "GAAH!" She sputters out as the very life is squeezed from her! "Ba...ra...sia...!" Buttercup squeaks out as the life from her is constantly ripped out, as her immortality forces her to live!

Blossom stops Dexter in mid-flight and examines his wounds. His entire face is bleeding and she cannot see past all of the blood and his armor and shattered in several areas and he is unconscious... "Dexter... don't die on me!" She pleads as she shakes his body back and forth. "Your Chronometal is the only hope we have! Don't die on me!"

She shakes his body, as she notices it has gone cold and her face goes pale.

"D...Damn... It... Sorry, Butter... cup..." Barasia says simply as she goes limp. "NOOOO!" Buttercup screams in protest, unable to do anything to help as Barasia merely lies there, dying or already dead. The brilliant lights flow past them as he tosses her body aside as if it were garbage. Her body floats into the darkness and then it leaves all sight...

"There is no hope for any of you... go silent and accept your judgment!" - "FUCK YOU, MANDARK!" Buttercup screams out coarsely- "YOU ARE NO GOD! YOU ARE NO PROPHET! YOU ARE AN EVIL BASTARD!" - "Be quiet!" He yells out as he squeezes her harder, causing her to spit out blood, but she never dies- or goes silent.

"You spout out crap about being this world's only hope and talk about the sins of humanity, as you stand there, crushing a girl to death and torturing another! Then you go and kill people and force others to watch their loved ones and friends die- and you have the nerve to call yourself humanity's only hope?! I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!" - "You understand nothing! You are empowered by the force of pure evil!"

He uses both hands and squeezes harder and harder, causing her bones to constantly shatter and regenerate as she spits out larger amounts of blood and smaller organs! "This... evil... force... is giving me... life... as you... a self proclaimed... messiah... take my life... away!" She smiles through bleeding teeth- "It seems good and evil have... switched sides, don't you think, Monster?!"

"RAAAAAAAGGH!" He bellows out as a sharp pain coarsens through his entire body! He releases Buttercup who quickly regenerates and flies off behind him! "Hey Blossom, good timing... How's... Dexter...?" Blossom never meets her words and instead wears a face of pure rage, digging her Chronometal Saber deep into Malignancy's spine! "YOU... KILLED... HIM!" Blossom screams out as she rips his metal apart!

She discards her saber and starts punching through his armor! "HE'S DEAD! AFTER ALL HE TRIED TO DO! YOU KILLED HIM!" She flies up and tears off one of his wings and flies off. He turns around and looks her in the eyes. "Don't worry, after I am done... he will have never existed to of sinned... or died." - "He tried to save the world... all of us... and you just killed him...!" She shudders out as she carries a giant wing, looking into his dark metal eyes.

As she says these words, her armor glows as a white aura radiates from it. A timid voice is head coming from the armor. "Susan..." Malignancy's gaze shifts from her eyes to the armor. "I always thought you were a kind hearted person... but now you seek to end all life, even mine...?" As those words are spoken, a girl of small stature and white hair leave's Model B.

She floats up as the lights around her churn and glow white. "Bell..." He simply lets out. "You were like a brother to me, Susan. I cared for you and I was so upset when you died... but I guess you never thought the same..." - "Bell, it's not like that... I thought the world of you! You brought me back from the edge of sanity! I owe everything I am to you..."

Bell looks at Malignancy. "Then please stop this... Susan..." - "I CANNOT! This is humanity's only hope! Without this they will be forever barred from the holy land and wallow in a world of pure sin forever! This is their only chance!" Bell shakes her head. "The only one here who truly understands humanity... is Blossom, someone... who isn't even human- and I shall bestow upon her my power, so that she can stop you!" As those words are spoken she fades back into the armor.

Malignancy merely floats there with artificial tears in his eyes. "I am... so sorry, Bell... I have to do this." He quickly lunges for Blossom! She lets out a large battle-cry and glows white as she swings his wing at his arm, shattering both! "W-What?!" He exclaims as she flies for him and crashes into his core! With new found determination, she digs into the core and reaches for the Ark, but is then torn away by his other arm!

"And with this- the resistance ends!" He yells as he starts squeezing her as well! She resists for a long time before her arms give out and she is completely grasped! "BLOSSOM NO!" Buttercup yells out as she flies for her and tries to unhinge his hand! Blossom is crushed so hard she cannot breathe or speak, but she simply looks into her sister's eyes, as they start forming tears in them. She moves her lips as to say 'sorry' but no voice comes out as her eyes close...

Malignancy floats there, half destroyed with an exposed core and the last Chronometal in his hand- shattered.

"At last... the pain... the suffering can end." He says simply as he releases his grasp on Blossom, who merely floats there in space. He flies off toward the large light orb. "BLOSSOM! SPEAK TO ME!" She says frantically as she jostles her body back and forth! Her entire Chronometal is shattered and pieces are floating around her...

Blossom's eyes remain open though it is clear they no longer hold life. Buttercup merely floats there in the mass-less void, all those around her she loved or cared about are dead. She never lets go of Blossom and simply looks into her lifeless eyes with only sadness to pass hers.

"Buttercup..." A light drawn out voice says. "It is not over... you and I are still left... we cannot let their death be in vain!" A red shade rises from Buttercup and holds a claw to her shoulder. "What is there left to do, Him...?" She lets out, voice quaking and cracking.

Malignancy observes its shattered body... right arm is completely obliterated and core is gaping open, but still fully functional. Stray electricity flies from the open wires that dangle from the open wounds. "How did she muster such strength... was it...? Bell?" He does not answer his own question and raises his remaining hand to the light sphere that is the root of all time.

His Ark starts glowing as the orb resonates and churns! Within moments it starts cracking and heaving under some strange power.

"MANDARK!" Buttercup screams out. "Again? You want to try to face me again-" Malignancy lets out as he turns around.

Buttercup floats there, unrecognizable from before. She is now a gigantic devil-like life form. She has giant red wings and her eyes are seething with flames. She points a clawed finger at Mandark- "My Immortality is over! But now I have the strength to fight you on equal ground, murderer- AS A MORTAL!" As those words are spoken, she fires for him, only to be blocked by his only remaining hand!

As she pushes forward, his leverage wanes and she starts taking ground! He looks into her eyes and sees that she is not alone- Him's eyes are in there as well, he is no longer a passenger... they are of one entity! Buttercup's hand turns into a giant pincer and she grasps Malignancy's only arm!

"HRAAGH!" She bellows out as she tears it from its socket! "Not so fast, demon!" He yells out as the Ark shines and repels her! "D-Damn it Him, I can't get close!" - "No... You can- but I cannot. He is using some sort of holy weapon with the Ark! I cannot maintain this form for much longer!" - "Hopefully, you won't- NEED TO!" She yells out as she extends her arm right for the Ark and fires a giant red beam!

It only scrapes the Ark but it is enough to cancel the ray and Buttercup flies for it! She mount's Malignancy, now the same size as it and digs her two giant clawed hands into his heart! "N-NO!" He yells in protest, but she gets a good grip and tears the Ark from its socket! As soon as the Ark is removed, Buttercup destroys Malignancy's husk! "NO! NOOooo-" He screams as his voice no longer reaches the Machine.

With Ark in hand, she looks at the Time Orb, which is now on the verge of completely collapsing! "Buttercup, my form is... ending! That attack did more on me then I thought!" - "It's okay... It's over..." Buttercup shrinks and maintains a brown color for a while, before even it fades and she turns green once more.

She takes the Ark out of her pocket and eyes the two Arks. They look almost exactly the same, but one has a slight indentation on the top and the other has a protruding piece of metal, it seems that they were once one entity. She shakes both of them, but nothing happens. "Damn it! Work, please!" She yells at the metal objects- to no apparent avail.

The orb collapses into itself, as all of the white lights are being sucked into it! "NO! This cannot be happening! I have the Arks... but what now?! WORK DAMN YOU! SAVE THIS WORLD!" She screams at the Arks. "They won't work you know." A familiar voice lets out. "What?! Who said that?" Buttercup asks to the now fading void.

Brilliant lights fly past her vision faster then she can see! "I am still the Ark... and I have won... It's over." The voice vibrates one of the Arks. "Mandark...!" She huffs out, eyeing the Ark. "It's not over! Now tell me how to work this thing!" - "Now why would I do that?" - "I-I don't know! Just... TELL ME!"

Buttercup is so flustered she is making no real sense talking and it causes Mandark to laugh! "No need, Buttercup-" Another voice speaks. The other Ark vibrates from these words. "H-Him?! What are you doing in there?" - "Barasia was smarter than I thought... this Ark is almost completely unpowered, but she gave it to you... and as I faded from existence, I felt a warm light from this device... It is perfect..."

"You dare disgrace the Ark, Demon?!" Mandark yells out from the left Ark. "My power is returning, even though it was almost all destroyed by the other Ark... Buttercup, attach me to Mandark." - "W-What?" Buttercup slips out. Darkness begins to encroach on their positions. "F-Fine! You better make this work..." Buttercup takes both of the Arks by the base and attaches them together at corresponding indentations on their tips.

"Okay... now what...?" She says, with no response. "Him, are you there...?" She lets out weakly as darkness consumes everything, what small amounts of light that are left are being swirled into the void as she can only look upon it. "Humans..." The double Ark lets out very faintly. "H-Him?" - "The fate of... all humans..." - "...Mandark...?" - "Should be in their... own hands..." - "HIM...?!"

The Arks fly out of her hand toward the void and crash into it, causing an ear shattering breaking noise! Buttercup heaves and writhes as she palms her ears closed, yet noise still permeates the area! She forces one of her eyes open through the sharp pains, to see a small light where the Arks once were, but it is not being swallowed by the void... it is just floating there.

*I was never a hero...*  
*I've caused so much destruction... so much death...*  
*Why am I alive, if all I bring is suffering...?*  
*Deedee... Mandark... heh... Earth...*  
*Sin... I guess that's all that's left of me.*

"He tried to save the world, all of us!"

*Blossom...? ... Sorry, but you are wrong, Blossom...*  
*But... what is it I was truly fighting for? I don't even know anymore.*  
*Was it my hatred for Mandark...? ...No... It wasn't...*  
*But... but what was it...? Why was I fighting? What was it...*  
*That I... THAT I DIED FOR?!*

"The only one here who truly understands humanity, is Blossom.*

*Bell? Hehe... enemy or no, you are right there... she was...*  
*A far better human- and hero than me, that's for sure.*  
*She fought for Humanity, for me. For my parents, for her loved ones.*  
*Isn't... that what I fought for? ...No... But, why not? Was I not a hero?*  
*Who... am I? ...ha... I guess there's only one more person I can ask.*

He opens his eyes to the darkness and goes into a submissive state.

"I... don't do this much, so forgive me if I lack courtesy..." He closes his eyes again and kneels to the ground, which is solid, despite not existing.

His palms are together and his eyes are tightly closed... He is... Praying. For the first real time in his life. He prays and prays, for what seems like hours... then days... then weeks. The darkness around him remains as silent and cold as ever.

"Are you really dead, Dexter?" A familiar voice is heard behind him. As Dexter opens his eyes to the blinding dark, he turns to meet the voice. It is Mandark sitting on a golden throne, in a new Chronometal. The Chronometal looks exactly as it did at the crash at the end of the first war... The perfect Model M. "Mandark..." He scowls plainly. Mandark raises his arms to address the nothingness he wrought. "Look around you, Dexter. There is nothing. You failed."

Dexter's eyes tense. "Yeah, well... you didn't exactly play fair." Mandark smiles wryly. "Fair? I was simply a machine built by man, as were your Chronometals." Dexter raises an eyebrow. "Was...?" Mandark nods as he nears his palm to his face, now in a new Deep Gold Chronometal. "You and I are of the same again, Dexter." - "Of the... Same?" He asks.

Mandark nods again. "Human, Dexter." He rises from his similarly colored throne. "Wait, how can you have a Chronometal? Whose soul is powering it?" - "My own." He states simply, walking down. "But, that's not possible! You are alive!" - "As are you." - "My Chronometal isn't powered by my own soul!" - "Yes it is." Dexter goes silent for a while, after he says that and fully leaves the throne, only a few yards away from him.

"But... Deedee?" - "She isn't here anymore, Dexter. She is dead, only we are left." Mandark nods and eyes Dexter. "I have Chronometal model Mandark and you have Chronometal model Dexter!" He points at Dexter, who looks at himself, noticing his Chronometal is different!

It's a deep silver color, yet it still feels and looks exactly like Model D. "What's going on...?" Dexter lets out flatly. Mandark looks up at the darkness. "Him... He destroyed the Arks and brought us all back to life. But I had one trick left too." He smiles slightly as his head returns from his gaze into the shadowy heavens. "As his Ark created life, I bound mine to all of their souls- and yours. Should you die, they die and they will remain here as I regain my power to destroy what's left of time."

Dexter grasps his saber and looks Mandark in the eyes. "So, it's not over yet, huh?" Mandark stops smiling and simply looks at Dexter. "W-What is it, Mandark?" Mandark cocks his head a little, before smiling slightly. "It's... just..." He laughs quietly as Dexter activates his D-Saber. "Why do you want to kill me Dexter?" - "I don't." Mandark nods. "Well then, why do you HAVE to kill me, Dexter?"

"To save the world." Mandark shakes his head. "That's... not what you feel you need to do." Dexter squints as he points his saber at Mandark at eye level. "No, it's not. Is it? Honestly, I don't know why I need to kill you." Mandark nods again. "Not even you know why it is you fight... yet fight you do." - "I have no choice." - "Don't you? You can let me enact my plan to save humanity." He shakes his head angrily. "I... can't let you do that."

Mandark raises an eyebrow as his golden armor shines slightly. "You don't fight for the world... you don't fight for yourself... and you certainly don't fight for humanity. Dexter. What is it you fight for?" Dexter remains silent, sword drawn at him. "Perhaps, it is for your own twisted sense of justice?" Dexter shakes his head and Mandark continues.

"What then? Who... then?" Dexter relents his blade as he looks downward at the endless dark. "Who...?" He says simply as Mandark strains to hear him. Dexter closes his eyes and smiles. He looks back at Mandark, with a somber smile on his face. He raises his weapons to a combat stance, still smiling slightly. "I fight... For Blossom." Mandark wears a plain expression. "How obvious... how didn't I think of it befo-" - "And I fight for you, Mandark."

Mandark's body stays in the same position for a while before he relents it and looks at Dexter. "For... me?" He shakes his head and continues. "But that doesn't make sense, Dexter. I am your enemy, we are bound by fate to end one another." - "I hate fate... Why can't we all live together, happily?" Mandark gazes at Dexter. "If I was not mistaken, I offered you the branch and you set it aflame." - "I am a new man, Susan. This war has given me the better portion of a century to think about the things I've done and the people I've hurt and what I truly want."

Still in a battle position, he continues. "I am no hero, Mandark. But I am no villain and I am only human. I've sinned, that much is indisputable. But can I not repent? Is my fate truly to die here as you end all life? Or can we start over, as friends, in a new world, not bound by... by fate?" Mandark smiles warmly. "Dexter... I..." He stutters out before the expression leaves his face.

"I... Cannot accept." - "I thought as much..." Dexter quietly speaks as he maintains a battle stance. "I never thought I would see the day where you would seek my forgiveness Dexter... I will... remember it forever, even after my job is done." Dexter sighs slightly.

Mandark extends his hand to his side and a Giant golden lance flies from the darkness into his grip. "If things were different... if WE were different... different people... different times, places... we could exist together. But everything that ever was willed that we be enemies for all eternity, Dexter. And now there is only one thing either of us can do... we can fight, for what we think is right." He points his lance at Dexter at eye level, meeting his saber.

"This is not a battle of right and wrong. This is not a grudge match. This is not a fight between enemies. This is fate. To fight fate is to fight all things. Yet fight we must." Mandark says poetically as he looks Dexter in the eyes.

He rushes to Dexter, who quickly flies backwards, avoiding his lance. Mandark fires at him while he is in mid-air and lunges as his heart, but he defends with his saber! He eventually grounds himself and slashes the lance away, only to have it whip back and bluntly strike the side of his head, sending him flying away- painfully.

Mandark Jumps into the darkness and fades away- leaving Dexter stumbling back onto his feet, disoriented by the harsh blow. Before he can realize that Mandark is gone, he emerges from the shade, directly above him!

Dexter fumbles as he tries to dodge his many attacks, getting hit by many and dodging only a few. "Dammit- How are you so fa-" He tries to say as Mandark lays a sucker punch to his jaw! Dexter spins from the sheer impact. "Dexter. Every time we have fought it has been an unfair fight- to me. You always had Blossom by your side- and recently, even the Black Mother! But now we are alone; and you see my true strength!"

Mandark yells out a battle cry as he jets to Dexter, landing attack after attack as blood falls into the endless dark. For each time he is knocked down, he attempts to stumble back to his feet, only to be struck down again.

The sounds of Dexter crying out in pain and Mandark yelling out are heard relentlessly through the black nothingness.

Hours go by and the void is replaced with floating globules of blood...

Finally, Mandark stops his attacks. Dexter; with barely enough energy left to cough blood merely lay there, dying. Mandark looks down on the shell of a 'hero' with no emotion on his face.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hesitant to kill you, Dexter, especially since I know you have changed... but this is what I must do." Dexter merely spits up blood, seemingly unconscious. Mandark approaches him and raises his lance to rest just above his chest. Dexter's eyes open slightly, looking into his eyes.

"Man... da-CAW*" He tries to say as he coughs up blood. "...ster..." A faint voice speaks through the void. "Dexter..." The voice continues, as Mandark relents, looking for its origin. A blue haired man appears from the shadows and looks at Mandark, as he looks back- angrily. "You...!" Mandark seethes!

The man merely smiles as two other people emerge from the shade. "Been a while, eh?" - "How?! Phantom killed you all!" A woman at the man's side speaks up. "Killed us? Not quite. We would have died were it not for the Ark and a brave young man." Yet another Man, aside them both speaks as well. "He saved us and brought us here to settle the score between you and all of humanity!"

Mandark completely disregards Dexter's body and points his lance at the three. "I will admit, I never thought humans could become as strong as you guys did that day in Megaville. Without Chronometals or even Bio-Symbiotes no less." - "Enough of the pleasantries- you die this day, M!"

Mandark fires off at the three, two of which disperse, but one actually charges at him! He produces a mechanical looking sword and meets the tip of Mandark's lance and does not lose any ground- regardless of how much stronger Mandark is than him. Neither waste time taunting nor gloating as they continue to furiously trade blows! Even though he is pure human- with no super powers, he does not flinch as he is struck by Mandark!

"Hyaa!" A loud female voice yells as many brightly colored projectiles are launched at Mandark from her giant gun! "D-Damn!" Mandark yells as he tries to avoid the attacks, only to be met with the second man as he crashes down with a giant hammer! It lands true but Mandark has enough traction to recover without ever hitting the ground. He flies backwards, only to have the two Men charge right for him!

The leader's swift sword lands many strikes as the other man's hammer turns into a giant claw and grabs onto Mandark! "GAME OVER!" The leader yells as he lunges his blade into Mandark's chest! The woman comes running over- only to have the leader fly off into her! "Game over indeed..." Mandark taunts, blood dripping down his torso. He grabs onto the claw and tears it off- and then he punches the man back.

He rips the sword out and then uses it to block the oncoming barrage of bullets! After the volley ends he whips it to her! "A-AH!" She screams as it impales her chest! "LIDIA!" The leader yells! He runs to her as Mandark laughs- "PATHETIC SINNERS!" He bellows as his lance rises from the darkness to strike him in the heart!

As the leader slumps to the ground, Mandark kneels down in pain, blood pouring from his chest. The third member rushes for Mandark, who attempts to punch him, only to be dodged as he gets behind him! "Let's see how you like this..." He lets out as he digs his arm into Mandark's wound! "HRAAAAAHHHHH!" Mandark roars out in pain, right before he backhands the man off of him!

He sprints to him as he attempts to recover his bearings, only to have Mandark's claws dig into his neck and slam his head into the ground over and over again! "DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" He explodes out with as he slashes his face to the extent of severing his jaw and making it slide across the ground, right before he caves his skull in with his fist!

Mandark's face is one of pure rage! His fangs are fully extended as his eyes lose their color and he loses all sight of morality as he continues to shred his corpse! Blood sprays everywhere as he ravages his body. Mandark rises from the blood, holding his chest.

"D-Damn it... Ha...Ha... I don't think I'm going to... make it...!" He blubbers out as blood spills from his newly hallowed chest.

"No. You won't." Dexter says as he fills that hole with his saber. Mandark looks down to see the weapon's tip and smiles slightly. "I guess... That's fate for you..." Mandark says plainly, right before Dexter flares his Saber, causing it to explode in all directions and flash Mandark's body to a crisp...

Mandark's body slumps to the ground as Dexter falls to his knees with a small frown on his still battered and bloody face. He looks at the three bodies. "Who... were you guys?" He pauses for a moment, taking the whole situation in. "Well... thank you... all of you..." He says right before collapsing to the ground, exhausted.

* * *

 **Editor's Note:** _Back at Snafu-Comics, I originally split the story's ending into 3 parts. The first part: This one, and two separate endings. Before I finished the base story of The Chronometal Wars, I wasn't 100% sure where I wanted the story to go. The Chronometal Panic: the next story planned in the Chronometal Chronology, wasn't fully fleshed out yet and to make matters worse, the writers for PPGD, the basis of which my story works off of was ever changing and sought out to contradict my work. Essentially, the two endings boiled down to A) Cutting my losses and abandoning the story with a small canonical tie in to the main PPGD story and B) Continuing my story regardless of the contradictions. As I continued to write my story, I obviously went with B._


	10. Epilogue: Why is it We Fight? 2 of 2

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chronometal Epilogue: The Curse that is Sin

The darkness around Dexter and all the bodies churn and ebb. A single being floats down from the shadowed heavens. "Dexter..." It speaks softly. It lets off a faintly blue aura with divine wings flapping at its sides. "You and I were of the same, we fought for what we both thought was right... I fought for a world without sin, whilst you fought for a world where your friends were safe... our goals were not mutually exclusive..." It kneels down aside Dexter and puts its hand on his chest.

"Your heart still beats with that of a protector. You are a good man, Dexter. It is a shame you could not be reasoned with in my end, but I have forgiven you." It transmits a faint aura to Dexter as life is slowly churned back into him. As he slowly comes to, he opens his eyes to meet the angel's.

"Micheal..." He says softly. "Do not speak, conserve your energy. You came this far with your philosophy, let's see if the world can accept it." The seraphim rises back to its feet and floats toward the shadows. "Wait." Dexter snaps out flatly. Micheal stops and looks at Dexter, who continues after rising to a sitting stance. Dexter looks around very slightly, barely moving his head to look at anything.

"So... God doesn't approve of my methods, but he did approve of yours and Susan's?" Micheal laughs slightly... "Dexter, the will and sight of the All-mighty are not suited to the ears of mortals." - "Is that a yes?" Micheal merely stares at Dexter. "No-one ever had a chance to actually get answers to things they had not power over, like fate... and God... and you dangle here and expect me not to ask?"

Micheal floats down-ward and lands on the darkness. "There are several things I 'am' within justifications to say and answer, and one of them is- yes Dexter, God finds your methods against his wishes." Dexter rises to meet the angels words; eye to eye. "But, why?! All I ever tried to do was help my friends and family... and along the way I saved countless people!"

Micheal smiles slightly. "He does not frown upon your actions, Dexter." The angel sternly shifts his facial expression to one of agitation. "Your inner rage, your inner sin, your ulterior motives is what shifts his gaze from you, Dexter." Dexter clenches his fists and looks somberly toward the lower abyss. "Why does... God... hate me so much... for something, I CANNOT FIX!"

Micheal shakes his head and walks toward Dexter. "God does not hate you, Dexter. He has nothing but love for you, but like that of a stern parent he is forever displeased by actions that endanger or condemn his kin, but he still loves you with all his power." Dexter looks up into Micheal's eyes with rage filled tears in his eyes.

"My parents are dead. Blossom is dead. My friends are dead, TIME is dead, YOU are dead. Everyone and everything that ever was and will be is dead and all he cares about is me? MY SIN?! Well, here's a sin for you; God sent the angel, Mandark to fix the world, and I killed him. I killed an angel because of what I thought was right... how much of a sin is that?"

Micheal shakes his head once more. "More of a sin then tolerable, Dexter." - "And what is he going to do about it? What are YOU going to do about it?!" - "Bring you back to life." Dexter looks down at himself; his wounds are cured and he hardly ever realized that all of his energy has returned. A fleeting warmth crosses Dexter, but it is quickly replaced with even more layers of rage!

"WHY?! The world, time, EVERYTHING is gone! Why does he see fit to leave me alive in this hell?!" - "Not just you, Dexter; everyone." - "You are going to revive... everyone?" - "Everyone who died during these battles with Susan." - "You mean... Blossom, and everyone else... aren't going to be dead?" He nods gently. "Yes, Dexter, they will return to the land of the living."

Dexter shakes his head in protest. "But- but there is no world to go back to! Will we simply rot in this darkness for all eternity?" Micheal floats above Dexter and leaves his sight into the darkness- but a few words are spoken as he vanishes-

"The world will return to its original shape, those lost will be guided back through the darkness onto earth. Mandark failed to end all of time, as the Ark remains in power, and with it- one strand, and ONLY one strand of time was left. Your time, Dexter. The sinning world will return without God's gaze, humanity's fate is it's own now... is that not what you- nay, what all humans wish for? An uncontrolled destiny? Well it is granted, the heavens shall no longer interfere with the affairs of mortals during their lives... as it is you all wanted, Dexter. But be warned, human-"

His voice distorts as it seems to come from all directions very quietly; "The eater of sin, Model M's husk still remains on earth, without the soul of Susan, without the directives of purity. For every sin the humans commit, the Metal grows more and more powerful, take heed... and I do hope for your sake, you and all of Humanity sees the light!"

The darkness quakes and rumbles as the bodes of the 3 strangers disappear from sight. Mandark's body vanishes into a faint white light as everything around Dexter fades in and out of sight! A loud sound like that of sharply blowing wind engulfs Dexter as he strains to cover his ears!

As he tries to block out the noise he opens his eyes with a deep gasp!

He notices he is staring directly into the morning sky of Megaville. Without rising, he looks to his left. Blossom is lying there, but she is too far away for Dexter to figure out whether or not she is okay. He looks to his right, seeing Buttercup and Barasia standing a short distance away talking to each other.

He weakly rises to his feet, still very sore from the previous battles. He walks slowly over to Blossom, her Chronometal and his are badly damaged, but still in-tact. Halfway to her, he feels his pocket vibrating, he reaches in and pulls out a cellphone.

"Hello...?" He says weakly. "Dexter? Is that you?" - "Utonium..." - "It is you, how is everyone? Is everything alright? The sky finally cleared up and people are getting stir-crazy." Dexter walks over to Blossom who seems to be alright. She is breathing well and seems to be snoring a small bit. He looks over to Buttercup and Barasia, who are still out of earshot who look over at him, but back to each other every once in while.

"Yeah... everyone is alright, Professor. Model M is gone..." There is a long pause on the phone before Dexter breaks the silence. "Hello...?" - "Oh, uh... Sorry Dexter, I was lost in thought." Dexter starts walking over to the two others, still talking on the phone. "Thought? About what? It's finally over, isn't it?" - "Well... that's just it Dexter..." As he continues to talk on the phone, Dexter's eyes and face change emotions very fast. "Alright..." Dexter sighs. "I'll tell them, look's like our job isn't done quite yet..."

He turns off the phone and slips it into his pocket...

He finally reaches Buttercup and Barasia, who put their conversation on hold to address him. Buttercup speaks first- "Hey Dexter... what happened in there anyway?" Dexter raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" - "You might not of known, but during the last moments in there we 'all' saw what happened."

"You mean with Mandark?" - "Not just Mandark, who were those other guys?" Dexter shakes his head. "No idea... they didn't ring a bell in the slightest." Dexter looks to Barasia. "Did you guys see anything 'after' the fight with Mandark?" Barasia shakes her head. "After you passed out everything went black, I thought we failed. Yet here we are... why? Did something happen?"

Dexter merely stares off into the distance for a while. "Dexter?" Blossom lets out, walking slowly over to the group. "Oh, Blossom- you're up!" He says softly. She rubs her head. "What... oww... what happened in there, anyway?" As she rubs her head, deep in thought, she remembers something and looks into Dexter's eyes. "Wait... Dexter...?" She merely trails off with. Dexter turns to her. "Is there, something wro-OOPH!" He tries to say as she tackles him!

She holds on to Dexter, without making any noise, her eyes still open, but not with tears in them. She merely hangs on to Dexter. "I saw you die... and, I lost... all control." - "Blossom..." - "But it's finally over..." Dexter sighs before gently prying Blossom off. "W-what is it?" She stammers out. "Holding this off any longer would be bad for everyone before they assume anything so I'll just say it."

He takes a deep breath.

Blossom, Buttercup and Barasia look at Dexter as he opens his eyes with a mix of reluctance and anger.

"A new, giant Model M has been discovered under the Antarctic crust by Professor Utonium, and it seems to be growing larger with each passing hour. This battle is far from over, in fact I think it's just beginning... I'm sorry everyone, but we aren't done yet."

* * *

 **Editor's Note:** _This is the base ending of The Chronometal Wars. The Chronometal Wars is a name both for the huge chronology I eventually ended up writing, and for the first story in the chronology. It's not TOO confusing to keep track of, but it doesn't help that I didn't plan the names ahead of time. Fun note: Micheal's name, normally spelled "Michael" was present in my story due to a plethora of reasons. The most predominantly because when I started writing YEARS ago, I didn't have access to Spellcheck. By the time I got Microsoft Word, I had written down the word Micheal over a hundred times. So... I just sort of rolled with it. Nowadays I've corrected my spellcheck to actually include the incorrect spelling of "Micheal" and that's just his name now._

 _Related to the actual story and hand, however, this is the Epilogue that eventually leads into "The Chronometal Panic" also known as "Project Heroesbane" by my editor: Havoc of Snafu. The Chronometal Wars was a Time Traveling adventure based on taking responsibility for one's actions. For Dexter coming to terms with his childishness in the past, and Barasia coming to terms with her original destructive nature. The Chronometal Panic branches into much edgier territory, where some of our heroes turn into Antiheroes, or even Antagonists for the bulk of the story. It was a hoot to write, as it was written in an equally nonlinear fashion as The Chronometal Wars._


	11. Sub-Chapter 1: Before the War

Sub-Chapter 1: Before the War

The date is June 20th, 2002... smack dab in the middle of the year before the first Chronometal war. A lone scientist is in a strange lab several layers of earth beneath Megaville.

"Everything is here... but...!" He slams his hand against a desk. "The catalyst is... nearly impossible to find! I tried boosting the combination process itself, but without a strong enough soul it just wont WORK!" He hits the desk again! He leans against the desk with his elbow and places his fingers to his eyes, deep in distraught thought...

" *Sigh...* I didn't come this far just to fail, there has to be SOMETHING... SOMEWHERE. A soul strong enough to both withstand the binding process and then provide enough feedback power to not only support itself in the chamber, but create abundant energy for things like... movement, and speech. But how?!" He looks at scattered notes strewn across the table in front of him.

"If my notes are correct- in which I have full confidence; The stronger the emotions of the dead human, especially that of hate and love- the stronger the energy... but other emotions like jealousy, and pride... they too are more than acceptable." He keeps going through the papers, sure he has done this exact thing way too many times...

"The problem is knowing who expressed ALL of these emotions right before their death! Perhaps... a death caused by a... battle fueled, by a loved one? That has anger, jealousy and love... but no pride! After all, the person needed to die, first. Why be proud in death?" He darts his eyes around the room and gives off an innocent smile... "Maybe a... spartan?" He chuckles slightly at his own joke and looks around the room- he is alone...

"*SIGH!*"

"C'mon, Mike! You can do this, I can do this- just... think about it more, look around, there HAS to be something I'm missing..." He scratches his head... then he scratches more... then his teeth grit and he nearly rips his scalp off! In his furious fit he scatters papers around- "Ohh! Damn!" He leans over to pick them up, but then he stops...

The papers are all aligned in certain phrases side by side...

-Relative killed, causes sadness and anger. Especially a brother or sister and-  
-Lover is killed, causes sadness and anger- possible jealousy if the lover was-  
-Also; with unfairness. Unfairness, usually in death means unfair advantage with-  
-Being killed by their own hands, an accident perhaps? Self loathing and Sadness.-  
-Causing depression, but not just depression- Anger, the lust for revenge! And in-  
-Their own hands they wrought their own death. But it was a just death. Or he thought-  
-So at least; I've established that teenagers, with their new found emotions are the best catalyst.-

"Wait... that... situation..." He thinks to himself deeply about the circumstances of his hypothetical situation...

"The catalyst killed someone's... brother or sister- possibly a rival's... but It was also his, Lover? And it was an... accident... Causing depression? Then anger... forced him into battle... with the rival? And it... Killed him, but right before his death- he felt proud of himself..." His eyes widen! "Y-YES! That has it all! Hate, Love, Anger, Sadness, Self loathing, Jealousy, Envy!"

He puts his finger to his lip and goes into deep thought... He gets off the chair and runs to the next room and accesses his large Computer. "The only people I might think be able to pull of this kind of messed up charade is a late adolescent, Maybe 15 or 16 years old... maybe male and completely dominated by his emotions; time to check the obituaries... AGAIIIIIIIN..." In the past year only 3 males of that age group have died in Megaville city... the names are as follows.

-Victor Clausewitz-  
-John Peach-  
-Susan Astronomonov-

"Susan? I'm sure I checked it into 'Male Only,' Let me just fix that..." He double checks the configuration and runs the scan again, and he shows up yet again. "Hmm, interesting..." He clicks the name and it shows the face of a young man, Black hair, Glasses, and an obviously devilish back-round, just from looking into his eyes...

"A name like Susan might also cause shame... Yet another negative emotion..." He prints out a picture of the young man and the residence of his living parents. "Time to check in to see if this is worth another $50,000 of materials..." He walks out of the lab, carrying with him only a small waist-bag.

(Several Hours of travel Later...)

He is a safe distance away from the house of the young man; Susan. Simply by looking at the house and it's presentation, it is clear the parents have a strong tie to nature... not just a love for animals- as a lot of people interpret, but their entire front yard is the perfect habitat for certain squirrels and hummingbirds. They didn't even skimp out with imitation bird feeders shaped like flowers, it is truely plants filled with nectar that they nursed themselves... "Cute."

A short girl, probably no older than 13 with pigtails the color black catches his eye. "Same hair color, young age... standing by." She walks by the house and he cancels his mental note, but then she walks into the yard, and starts tending to one of the flowers. After a few moments she rises from the grass and nears the door. "Bingo..." He runs across the street and yells; "Hey little girl! Wait up!" - "Huh...?"

His only fear of the meeting would be she would run away, but she does not. "Who are you, Guy?" - "I've come to ask a few questions about your... umm... Brother..." She looks away from his words, clearly hurt. "I-I didn't mean to-" - "It's fine... It's just, you are probably one of the only people who asked about him..." - "Oh, I see." - "What questions..."

The scientist of blue hair speaks up- "This may seem oddly direct, but how exactly did he die?" She looks up at his eyes, not with teary eyes like that of someone reliving a horrible tragedy, but of suspicion... "Why...? Who are you?" - "My name is Micheal, and I study... the afterlife- cutting my profession short with your well-being in mind." - "Afterlife? Like... paranormal? Ghosts and stuff?" - "Not exactly, mine is much more science based..." - "And you need to know about my brother, and more specifically, his death; why?"

The blue haired scientist looks around, making sure no-one is in sight- or earshot. "I think I..." He looks around once more... "I may be able to bring him back-" The girl clenches her fists, seemingly in anger and turns away from the man. "Go away... I have nothing to say to heartless assholes like you who would mess with with people's emotions..." He grabs her arm and turns her around, as she is all around he grabs her right hand with both of his hands.

"I promise you, this is no ruse little girl, I am truly onto something ground-breaking... world-changing! And I need to know everything about your brother and his death!" She tugs her hand away from his grasp, but tolerates his presence more... "How." - "Come again?" - "How will you bring him back?" - "The power of the best science the world has yet to see!" The girl looks away, seemingly wounded by the words. "Science huh...? ... One condition..." - "Okay, what?"

She looks over to his blue eyes, he is still knelled down and at eye-level with her. "If it has to do with my brother, I see everything." The man gulps, and looks in her eye... he has dealt with children before in his long quest for the perfect soul, but none were nearly this... inquisitive... or persuasive. "V...Very well..." He rises from the ground. "But I have my own condition." - "Oh yeah? What?" - "You tell me exactly how he died, where he died, who killed him; if he was murdered and why."

"It's a deal."

(Several hours of travel and talking later.)

"So, he went by the name, Mandark? Because he met some geeky kid who insulted his name one day? And he never dropped it? Seems pathetic, yet at the same time it seems perfect..." - "That's my brother for you..." She says holding a coffee mug to her lips, unknown weather or not there is anything in it, but as she sets it down- it certainly sounds like she is drinking something... black. Coffee perhaps?

"So you still never told me exactly what you are going to do with this information- let alone how you are going to help me get my brother back..." - "All in due time, but there's no time like the present- so let's get started!" She raises an eyebrow, as if she was expecting it to be a bit more... subtle...

They walk into the other room, and everything seems prepared, some odd antennae are sticking out every which-way and there is some strange material on a nearby shelf. "What's that?" - "Nano-steel, incredibly dense without adding too much weight- but more important than that... It is incredibly flexible." - "What's that got to do with anything? Are you making a robot?" - "Not exactly..."

He flicks several switches, and then the unexpected happens. "You're up." - "... ... ... Huh?" The scientist looks at her. "Usually when I get information on a soul I have the relative give me something treasured to them that reminds them of the dead, in your case... you are that treasured item." - "O-Okay, what do I have to do?" - "Simply walk onto that disk you see on the floor and picture Susan in your mind." She timidly walks toward the pad, once she is on it she turns around to face the blue scientist.

She closes her eyes and goes into deep thought, her body language gradually shifts from a neutral stance; arms at both sides... to a more emotional state, hands grabbing each other at the chest... "Yes, it's working, don't stop..." Heavy electric noises go on in the back-round, the scientist thinks it may impair her thinking, but in fact- the machine is actually powering up; is the noise of loud electric equipment nostalgic to her? Does it help her remember Susan?

A glowing figure appears in the chamber next to the girl- "Yes, YES! I've only ever gotten this far once! But it failed a couple seconds back! This could be it!" A deep rumbling goes on, the place is shaking- he is sure that this will ruin her concentration, but to the contrary it is yet going up! 'Did... did he die in a way that makes a deep rumbling noise? Is that what she is remembering...?' He thinks to himself.

He looks at the machine, the figure is almost human looking, he looks upon it as if he is seeing the face of the almighty... But then the readings go down, they spike very fast! "N-NO, NOT NOW! DAMMIT! I'M NOT GOING TO GET ANOTHER SHOT AT THIS!" He frantically presses whatever buttons he finds, but before he can even do that he hears a foreign noise behind him.

"Move aside." He looks over, and in shock, it is a young girl, dressed in black, carrying a pair of broken glasses. He obliges, knowing it is hopeless to continue trying to salvage the situation... He slumps out of the room, knowing what is going to happen... inevitable failure...

The Black girl nears the girl in pigtails, she grabs her hands and looses her grip, and puts the glasses in... "S...Susan..." She lets out quietly. The room eventually stabilizes, but the noise of nothing all but causes the scientist to fall and weep, and the Black girl come walking out. She nears him and lets out stiffly; "Your task is complete. Claim the soul." He looks up to meet her words, seemingly breathless. He runs to the room!

The girl is sitting on the pad, holding a pair of glasses in her hands, and the machine has a fully functioning Catalyst. "Th-There's no way..." He runs to his desk and punches in a few commands, and the soul leaves the chamber, and into a different chamber. "Th-This is it!" The small girl looks up at him, she quietly get up and walks to see what he is talking about...

She views the small metal device with sadness... "W...What is it...?" - "Susan."

The strange girl who appeared from nowhere looks to them with no emotion in her eyes. She nears him, and extends 4 small balls in her hand. One orange, one purple, one green, and one blue. He looks over and takes them, and asks a single question. "Who are you?" - "I am the Black Mother, the birth giver to all Chronometals." - "Ch-Chronometals?" - "What you see before you on the desk, the fruit of your research will bring upon the world an ultimate power."

His eyes widen as she continues to speak. "Those 4 balls are catalysts... souls, that you can also use to form something that syncs to that Chronometal... They are called Bio-Symbiotes; and they are the key to Ultimate Power, although, they themselves are very weak in power." The scientists eyes squint as she continues... "Use them as you see fit, the rest is up to you." - "W-Wait! Why are you doing this?"

"It is in my knowledge that what your research carries with it is exactly what I've wanted all my life. You can fill in the blanks of my reason yourself as you see necessary." She walks away, as cryptic as ever. The man views the balls he was given, and the metal object before him...

"This is it, everything I worked for is finally possible... Now, it is time for action!"

The Girl with the Pigtails eyes her new-found cohort, it seems they are bound for life... "I've never asked for your name yet, what is it, little girl?" - "Just call me Astro, I don't care for my name... or any nickname I've earned in the past."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _This was the first time I ever directly went sideways or backwards with the story's format. It was originally submitted in between Chapters 6 and 7 on Snafu. This was the first time I made a part that didn't have 3 parts to a chapter, which most of the other chapters (at the time) were made of. On Snafu- you'll see what I'm talking about. But here on Fanfiction I edited out the parts and combined them into large super-chapters. Anyway, this was, and still is, the earliest point in the Chronometal Wars that wasn't actually going so far back in time that it touches PPGD, so this is still actually true to its name. To this day I haven't gone back farther than this. For all intents and purposes, this is the absolute beginning of the "Chronometal Wars" storyline._


	12. Sub-Chapter 2: The Sands of Sadness

Sub-Chapter 2: The Sands of Sadness

Sands blow through the sad world, the sun barely shines through the irradiated clouds... once industrious cities now lay dormant, almost as if waiting for people to move back in; but that is more than impossible. But a few life forms remains on the entire planet, even all plant life has been eradicated.

Whether or not it is day or night is impossible to tell, as the entire world is engulfed in a constant dust storm maintaining a constant dreary appearance, but even that lies about the world's true nature. No real life can survive on this planet anymore, no clean oxygen remains... all that remains is death's grasp.

And yet something lives in this world, and not only does it survive; it laughs through the day, and cries through the night. A hulking Juggernaut- more machine than man constantly treks through the sands of death. It constantly speaks to itself, addressing nothing, living nor dead.

"Do you know what true pain is? Before you answer that; answer this-  
Have you seen your entire world crumble? Before you answer that; answer this-  
Have you seen your own parents, or siblings killed? Before you answer that; answer this-  
Have you ever killed your own parents? Before you answer that; answer this-  
Have you ever killed? Before you answer that; answer this-  
Has anyone ever tried to kill you? Before you answer that; answer this-  
Have you made an enemy of the entire world? Yes. Yes you have, by merely existing..."

It hulks through the deserts, if not with a grin, then with watery eyes... four wings splayed out, sucking the very life force from the planet.

The red wing of ultimate power, anger and envy branches out of the left shoulder.  
The blue wing of complete control, lust and pride branches out of the right shoulder.  
The green wing of happiness, guilt and sadness extends from under the red wing.  
The purple wing of death, love and solitude extends from under the blue wing.

They all provide a small amount of power to the ultimate weapon, yet even as small they are in comparison to the weapon- a single wing alone could level the entire planet were there nothing to stop it.

"Dexter... Deedee... Mandark... Bell... Drax... Micheal... Elly... Olga..." It constantly chants as it crashes through the dead planet. "I am all... All is me... I am all... All is me... happy... happy..." As it lifts its feet, sand pours down from the massive size, and as it lands small cracks are made where it steps.

The giant stops.

At this time every day, Dexter breaks free of the hypnotic grasp of the machine for several minutes, yet he usually never even opens his eyes, and he tries hard to keep tears from forcing their way out. He huffs through clenched teeth. He hates his newfound existence, yet he continues on, hoping that his recent project will work... it is the only thing keeping him alive.

Not too long ago, before the world completely died, Dexter took a girl who was in more way than one; dead, and put her in a liquid tube of healing enzymes... yet not even that would save what was left of her life, so he destroyed anything he could in his lab to get to the most vital of materials; working circuitry.

He used everything at his disposal to make a robotic husk that looked just like her, and he moved her brain to the machine... but even then it would take many decades for the the nearly dead brain to adapt to the new host body; if it will at all. Merely a day after the world was doomed, he managed to regain full control of his body and emotions, but even then the world was unchangeable; even though he was put on the spot and forced to destroy the world, he knows the dark and ugly truth.

Even without the end of everything, he knows it was all his fault; he tried far too hard to control everything, and in the end he lost everything he ever held dear. Before he was even labeled a hero, he antagonized and tortured his enemies until they grew to vitally loath him to the point of self suicide, and even after being a hero he couldn't even save his own sister from getting killed by his enemies.

He was a terrible person, he caused more destruction then he ever thought possible, and everyone he ever knew is now dead for it. Blossom, his lover; Dead. Deedee, his sister; Dead. All his friends; Dead.

So in the end he committed one last sin to end them all, he took the last of the world onto his shoulders, controlling it yet again... but now he passes the torch of control to another. If she can use it for good unlike him, the world may yet have a chance, after all... she was born a superhero, not crafted into a lie as he was.

She was strong, tough... and pure. She was incapable of the sins he lived and breathed, perhaps she can bear the curse better than he. If not, the world is doomed for all eternity.

Nary a week after she was shunned from the impact zone by her own sister, she returns to the planet Earth...

The city she called home is wrecked, the only buildings left standing are fewer than a couple stories as dust circulates through the world, all of the buildings wear a dead look; windows shattered and ceilings caved in. She finds it hard to cope with the atmosphere, it is even more hostile then the moon, where she goes to hide...

"Why... why did this have to happen...?" She says to herself, tears building in her eyes. She starts walking around the impact zone... looking for something.

She moves stone after stone, and uses whatever powers she has to clear the ground away, there must be something here!

She tirelessly throws debris in all directions...

Then she stops...

She falls to her knees, a look of horror and sadness in her eyes, but her entire face is emotionless; truly a rare sight for one such as her. She reaches out and grabs a hand with both of hers...

She closes her eyes and clenches her teeth as her head droops down... "Why..." She lets out through her teeth, her voice trembling. Her grip on the hand tightens to that which would crush a normal human's, but the hand remains intact. She looks up at the face of the one who's hand she is holding, her face red from the absolute sadness and anger burning in her veins, and her teeth are flashing through her mouth with tears coursing down her cheeks.

"WHY DID YOU TELL ME TO LEAVE?!" She lets go of her hand and slams the ground, causing a deep quaking noise, and blasting all nearby dust away! She scrambles to the body and hugs it tightly as she lets all her sorrow out... the cries of one who lost everything and then some echo endlessly through the empty and dead world.

The girl's blue dress is in stark contrast to the dirt-brown the other is wearing, even though they are both wearing the same type of dress... even though the other dress is drenched in blood...

She stands up and looks at the body, and then at herself... she is wet with blood. "Not here... *sniff* I'll bring you to the right grave... *sniff*" She picks up the body, and she looks at the face... she looks so content; peaceful, odd considering her personality. She flies off leaving a blue trail behind her, her blonde hair waving in the air.

She lands several moments later next to a large stone building, mostly untouched by the crash due to it being surrounded by mountains. She walks down some stairs, body still in her hands. As she reaches the bottom, she reads the sign.

-Here lie all the victims of the Megaville Chronometal War-

Many graves are filled, but she proceeds down the halls to a special room with it's own sign.

-Here lies the heroes of the Megaville Chronometal War-

But a single grave should be filled here, and she moves to one of the empty stone graves... these were not spared by the radiation-laden dust clouds and are caked in layers. She hovers slightly and opens the coffin with her foot and then lands back on the ground... She lowers her into the grave and takes on last look at her, tears growing in her eyes again...

"Goodbye... sister..." She lets out, choking on her words. She closes the grave and grinds the word 'Buttercup' onto it's face. She then walks somberly toward the exit when something catches her eye... The grave that should of been filled is slightly ajar...

She looks in, hesitant to see a 6 month old corpse, but there is nothing there! As the lid falls to the ground with a loud thump, the dust clears off it... the name 'Bell' etched into it. She looks into the empty grave and lets out under her breath; "Not even the dead were spared this hell..."

She runs as fast as she can out of the building, her tears following in her wake! As she exits, she yells out as loud as she possibly can;  
"D-A-M-M-I-T!" An emotion almost never seen on her face is blazing across all of it; Anger... Rage... Lust for revenge.

She fires off faster than ever before toward the outskirts of the ghost-town, and finds the colossus wandering around. She opens with a very pronounced kick to side of the head which causes it to stumble slightly.

As it regains its balance it looks to her and its eyes widen! "B-BUBBLES...?!" She does not change her facial expression as it notices her. "You killed them all..." - "Bubbles..." - "WHY DID YOU KILL THEM ALL?!" She rushes at him again, seething with rage, and it does not fight back. However before long, she notices her efforts are futile and she stumbles to the ground, weak from the exertion.

She starts to cry again and yells out through quaking breaths; "I... thought you loved... my sister...!" The behemoth does not looks away nor respond. "You even told me... yourself that she... was your only light left...!" She looks up with more rage mixed with the sorrow. "And you killed her...! YOU KILLED EVERYONE!"

"Blossom will return." Those words shock her the way he has never seen before... "W-what are you...?" - "I made it so she will be revived in a few decades." Her face discards its surprised sight and regains one of anger; "DON'T YOU SEE THIS IS HOW SHE DIED?! Your damn science and god complex killed her and now you are going to try bring her back?!" - "I'm so sorry Bubbles... but you should leave... now...!" - "What the hell are you talking about?!" - "I'm... going... now... RUN-"

Before long his face loses its composure and it sets her off guard... and that was all it took.

Her last memory is being impaled in the same manner as her sister. She feels sad that she let her emotions turn to blood-lust and it lead to her death, but it doesn't even matter. She lost her will to live a few hours ago... or maybe sooner, when she was forced to abandon her sisters...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _A small branch into an "in-between" moment in the story. "What happened after World's End fell on Megaville? Buttercup was immortal, right? What happened?" Well, as with most of the things in this story, it didn't end well. Turns out immortals can still die. Some infinities are bigger than others it seems. The Sands of Sadness was a rather misguided attempt at waxing poetic if I do say so myself, but as far as storyline relevance goes, it's actually a rather important part. It is constantly called back on to reference the sands, the Chronometal Tomb, the empty sarcophagus... everything is mentioned along the story in little snippets. This world, for all intents and purposes, is at this point an alternate ending. After all, at the epilogue, none of this should have happened... right?_


	13. Sub-Chapter 3: Lynn's new world

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Sub-Chapter 3: Lynn's new world.

"Global panic as a new type of monster is found in central Megaville!" The camera zooms into a giant worm robot tearing through the subways. "Even world renowned heroes such as the Powerpuff Girls are unable to keep them under control! Even the mysterious and powerful Megas robot can only take on a few at a time, while the rest of the worms wreak havoc!"

A girl looks at the monitor as if it were a map, taking careful details into consideration. She is not at all out of place, wearing a cover-all black dress and white wristbands. Her long black hair reaches her back and her skin is greatly improved by the starkness of ebony she is clad in. Her eyes are devilish, yet deceivingly innocent and she always carries around a neutral expression.

She walks around the city, blending into the crowd, paying special attention to calendars and clocks in windows and on walls.

"Two thousand and eight..." She says to herself. She looks at her wrist-watch, which seems a little high-tech and catches glances from passers-by. [2008] She nods to herself and then catches an odd sight. People are running away en-mass as rumbles can be heard deep below the streets! Sirens blare as an emergency warning starts.

"Attention all of eastern Megaville! This is not a drill! Unknown enemies have been sighted moving from central Megaville to all outlaying establishments! Police and other law enforcement have set up a secure barricade near the southern borders of Megaville near Megaville Elementary! Stay calm and stay safe!" The intercom loops endlessly as people start fleeing due south as the tremors intensify.

However, the girl only walks while the others run as fast as they possibly can. She can feel the quakes picking up in frequency and magnitude as only a small amount of time passes. It is not long before the sounds of buildings collapsing are heard and then the real tragedy begins...

A large mechanical worm monster shatters through the pavement causing cars to fly at nearby buildings, causing catastrophic damage! People scramble across one another as they desperately try to run from the beast, before a certain noise catches the girl's ears.

"HELP PLEASE! MOMMY!? WHERE'S MY MOMMY!?" A little girl, no older than five years of age screams out while at the absolute back of the stampede of people, very close to the worm. She runs for her life with tears in her eyes constantly yelling out for her mother! This sight causes the young woman to completely turn around and take a hard look at the little girl. Then she starts talking to herself;

" **She** helped me when I had no hope... and I was her enemy... or at least; that's what I thought. I was less than that to her; I was almost a complete stranger! Yet she risked her life to save me..." The girl starts shaking her head as the young girl's cries intensify as the worm starts moving to her! "I was created to destroy this planet... but..." She clenches her fist as she locks eyes with the young girl.

"HELP ME! PLEASE, MISS!" She blubbers out through tears and fear before finally she says one last thing to herself. "But I will not be controlled any longer. I control my own destiny!" She runs very fast to the girl and then passes her, causing the girl to look back!

"What are you doing, miss?! It's gonna smoosh you!" The girl's young tongue rings in her ear as that of a true innocent. "Run, I won't let this... THING harm you! Or anyone!" The girl runs away still in fear of the worm as she does not believe a single young woman can stop it. In normal circumstances; she would be completely correct.

As the worm nears her, it lunges down as she prepares a heavy attack, but the worm stops. "W-What?" She sputters to herself. She fully expected to fight the worm, but the worm halts... a small camera leaves the worms mouth as it examines the girl. The worm relents and then a voice is heard coming from its mouth cavity; "Black Mother Identified, returning to base." The worm dives into the pavement once more and before long, the tremors in the entire city end completely. The girl relents her guard as she hears a familiar voice behind her.

"Wow, Miss... I can't be... belie? Buh... lee?" She shakes her head unable to pronounce the word, but with a smile lets out; "YOU DID IT!" The young girl is hugging the young woman's core body with a large grin across her contented face. That look causes a smile to cross her face as well as unfamiliar feelings cross her mind. "Empathy, huh? If my fate is my own... so be it." She says to herself. "What does that mean, Miss?" The young woman shakes her head and pats the girl's.

"Nothing, let's go find your mommy!" Her eyes light up before she takes off, giddy. "Follow me! I think I know where she is!" She follows at a mellow pace, as they both head south; towards all of the other people.

(Several minutes pass.)

"So... what's your name, Miss?" The young girl says out of the blue as they near the crowd of people. The young woman looks off into the distance as if in remembrance and says with a small smile; "Lynn." The young girl, skipping along as they finally reach the crowd lets out right before they join it; "My name is Ruby! Pleased to meet you, Lynn!" She lets off a bright smile again before finally looking around.

She keeps looking until she finally finds something that causes her to bolt off at it! "W-Wait!" Lynn says in vain, arm extended but the girl is already going a mile a minute. She sighs as she runs after her. She runs through the crowd avoiding people; "Sorry, excuse me! Coming through! Pardon me!" She lets out every few moments as she barely keeps Ruby in sight.

Finally Ruby stops and Lynn catches up and as she reaches her, she meets up with a worried looking woman. "Oh, my god! I am so happy you are all right, Ruby!" The woman says kneeling down and hugging Ruby deeply. Ruby pries herself from her arms slightly enough to point at Lynn; "She helped me!" Ruby lets out in thanks! The woman looks up at her and finally lets go of Ruby after a small peck on the cheek.

She walks over to Lynn, Ruby in close pursuit. "Thank you so much for what you did, Miss...?" - "Lynn." She nods. "Thank you, Lynn... you have no idea how grateful I am to you... Thank you!" Lynn scratches the back of her head as she feels an artificial blush coming on. "O-Oh, stop now... It was no trouble at all! Hehe..." - "No trouble? From what I've heard a giant worm was in that city right as I lost sight of Ruby! I was so scared and I started to jump to all the worse conclusions!"

After saying this she kneels back down to Ruby and starts hugging her more, as Ruby slightly resists; "Mom, you're embarrassing me!" She lets out, flustered. "Well I am more than happy to help... You know... she reminds me a lot of myself when I was that age..." After saying that Ruby's face breaks into a large smile as she jumps to the words; "I'M GONNA BE A SUPERHERO?!" Lynn laughs slightly before replying. "There is nothing in this entire universe than can stop you from being who you want to be, Ruby."

Upon saying this, Ruby's mother stares at Lynn, mouth agape before rising. "That's... what my husband used to say..." - "O-Oh... did I offend, Miss?" - "Not at all... it's just, he's not with us anymore and I've yet to find a good father figure for Ruby..." Ruby's mother looks at her, as Ruby looks back and replies innocently; "Well, Lynn is as strong and brave as any boy or man I've ever seen!" Lynn and Ruby's mother both smile at the sentiment.

"Yes, she is very brave... isn't she?" Her mother looks Lynn in the eyes. They stare at each other for a small while. "Thank you for everything you have done... and everything you have said, Lynn... I will never forget your kindness..." Lynn extends a hand to Ruby's mother, and she grabs hold of it and shakes it. "I must get going; I have things to take care of." - "Of course, thank you so much. Goodbye, Lynn."

As Lynn walks off, the joyful atmosphere of Ruby and her mother are quickly replaced once again by one of fear and panic as the townsfolk gather outside of a certain household. Lynn walks up to the front to get a better look, and the people she sees cause her eyes to go wide.

"Bubbles, any word from Dexter?" - "Yes, Blossom... he says the shelter got over-stuffed so he sent people over to us until he can open up his old lab." A red haired girl clad in a pinkish dress and large red bow; a blast from the past for Lynn is right in front of her. "Alright, we need to keep open watch on this entire area, there is no telling when a robot could show up at any moment!"

A similarly dressed girl with blonde hair and blue dress also floats in the air, keeping a watch on the crowd, before she catches eyes with Lynn. She lowers herself to her level, and approaches her slowly. Lynn recoils and looks around the crowd, making sure she isn't looking at someone else; but there is no-one of merit behind her, she is looking right at her.

She squints, now only a few feet from her. "C-Can I help you?" The blonde haired girl relents her gaze. "No, I just... thought you were... someone else." She shakes her head. "Where are my manners? Hi, I'm Bubbles of the Powerpuff Girls!" - "Oh, uh. I'm Lynn, and I'm new here." - "Lynn huh?" Bubbles nods as if she just heard an answer to a long question.

Ruby's mother walks near the two with Ruby at her side. "Bubbles... would you consider having Lynn here help you?" Bubbles looks over to her. "Well, anyone can help, but-" Before she can continue, Ruby cuts her off. "She's a superhero too!" After hearing that Bubbles looks over to Lynn with a smile. "I knew it..." She says to herself.

Lynn looks at her confused. "Knew what?" - "Nothing, if you are a superhero, there are some major things I have to tell you about in private... the masses can't hear this or they will panic." - "Of course..." Lynn follows Bubbles into her house and as she looks back she notices Ruby is giving her a thumbs-up! Lynn smiles back at her.

Lynn's new life as a superhero is about to begin.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Thus begins Barasia's new name as Lynn. Throughout the series she will come to answer to both names of herself, both Lynn and Barasia. This is also the opening part that introduces Ruby, an OC character that plays a mostly side part for a lot of the story, then gets center stage much later. This part may seem a bit confusing at first due to Bubbles and Barasia's "oil and water" reactions to each other, but it has to do with Time Travel, so later in the story it will be fully explained. This part takes place during the First War, around the beginning of the First War no less. You will later see this part mentioned several times later as I host the First War as its own story._


	14. Sub-Chapter 4: World, Thy Name is Ruin

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Sub-chapter 4: World, Thy Name is Ruin.

"The world is upon my shoulders... it is all up to me." She says to herself. "Things may be different now that my mental status has been changed, I must investigate the future." She gets up off the lunar dust and inputs several numbers into her device. "Hm?" She mutters to herself right before she activates the travel. "Tracking beacon...?"

She is being tracked at that location. "Something is definitely changed." She punches in the final code. "Someone is there waiting for me, time to meet them." After saying that she fires through a gate of light!

As she travels through time, she can already feel the consuming sorrow.

She lands and dust scatters all around, her device reads the year: 2070. As soon as she hits the ground she sees the observer, it is a young man, slightly balding, and brown hair. He seems familiar to her; despite wearing a trench-coat, and she cautiously walks over to him, when he turns around; she fully recognizes the person.

"Otto...?" He raises an eyebrow, but then shakes his head; replacing the look of confusion with one of anger. "I guess I would expect you to know my name, but that doesn't matter anymore. Nothing does..." He looks to the ground, tears falling from his glasses, and hitting the dusty ground. The girl looks around. The entire world is caught in eternal twilight as clouds of dust and radiation blanket the skies, all cities and buildings around them are in ruin.

"Who would have thought she was telling the truth? Now look at what happened... there is no hope for the entire universe anymore..." This time the girl raises an eyebrow. "She?" He shakes his head and grips his chest. "One of my closest friends... Blossom... and I killed her!" The girl's eyes go wide and she staggers. "BLOSSOM?! But why?! You killed her...?!" She lets out hysterical.

He smiles slightly through the stream of tears. "It all made sense a while ago... she was the only one it could have been... with her gone, the world would be saved... haha... ha..." He says, trembling and shaking. He raises his head slightly to look at the surrounding world. He grips his glasses very hard, shattering them and slicing his hand... and then he throws them to the ground and smashes them with his boot!

He looks up with a terrifying mix of Hate and Sadness in his eyes. "It was not her, it was not me. It can only have been you." He raises his hand, now bleeding and sliced, facing his body as he looks right through it into her eyes. He makes a fist as blood and tears rush down his body. The girl looks at him, now in a neutral state. "So... what are you going to do about it...?" He maintains his gaze and says through bodily quakes; "I don't want to live anymore... whoever you are, monster; I no longer care. You alone traveled into the farthest future after destroying the world. We will fight here and now."

She shakes her head. "That won't solve anything." His face blazes with anger as he brandishes his teeth! "IT WILL MAKE ME STOP FEELING THIS!" Eyes still wide, but anger aside he continues; "I have no will to live, the entire Time Squad was destroyed by something, only I am left; and with my last days I killed one of my best friends and caused the world to be locked in everlasting death. I have nothing left, but anger and sadness."

He pulls a small gun from his pocket with his bloody hand and rests it at his side as he looks right into her eyes. "Do you have a weapon, monster?" She shakes her head and says plainly; "This won't solve anything. I am not going to fight you." He laughs slightly and faces the ground. "You won't even put my out of my misery? Of course I know dying or killing you will mean nothing. What's done is done, even if I kill you now, the world is forever ruined but my pain yet remains."

He looks up with regret and sadness splaying through his entire body right into her eyes. "Mandark was freed from his sadness and pain, Dexter was freed from his... but I am left, a withered husk and a sinner." The dark twilight and the rushing dust set a mood of terrible catastrophe and death, yet he chooses to be here.

She eyes him with a great deal of pity in her eyes, before she finally responds. "I have a weapon... I will put you out of your misery." His eyes relent their sadness as he enters a defensive stance. "And I will also save this world." - "That's impossible..." - "What? What do you mean?" - "Why do you think I am here asking you to fight me instead of saving the world myself?" The dust continues to rush through the tense atmosphere as he explains himself.

"I've tried, but the Chronometals are impossible to stop. I've gone back and forth through time, I've ended certain tangents that led up to these events, but it all ends the same. They convey emotion and actions even across universes they didn't exist in. No matter what timeline you try to stop them in, another one in another timeline resonates to stop you... There is not a single thing in the universe that can stop them; Ever." He points his gun at her. "Now please, stop talking and fight me."

She shakes her head and barks out- "NO! There must be a way! I won't accept this! There has to be something that can beat Model M!" - "THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO STOP IT!" Those words trigger something in her thoughts; "Wait... left? What was there to stop it?" Otto shakes his head. "It doesn't matter, it's gone now. No-one can do anything with it." - "WHAT IS GONE?!" He scoffs. "The Ark is gone, as well as Time Squad. That was the only thing that can stop it." - "The... Ark?"

"Time squad was granted the ability to both scan and travel through space and time using a device they called the Ark of the Covenant. It served as an anchor between universes and time-lines and it alone made time travel possible. All Time Squad agents were bound to it, and now that Time Squad and its headquarters are gone, there is no Ark. I can only imagine someone stole it to keep it from me so this universe would stay like this..."

She nods. "I understand..." - "Do you? WHY DOES THIS MATTER?!" She raises her right arm and it opens up to display an array of mounted rifles and cannons. She covers half of her face with it, with her remaining eye looking his' dead center. "Otto, I will put you out of your misery, and I will save this world, if it is the last thing I do!" He shakes his head and re-arms his gun. "The Ark is gone, there is no Hope, now please... stop talking!" He fires his weapon, and she is already out of its range.

She is floating in the air firing off multiple rounds at Otto, which he dodges nimbly as he continues to fire upward at her! "You fight pretty well for a doomed psychotic nerd!" She lets out both as a taunt and a compliment. "Shut up and fight, monster!" He fires off rounds that nearly graze her at every turn. Constantly dodging his gun's projectiles she lets out one final question. "Is there really nothing I can do to stop you from doing this Otto?" - "I said... SHUT-!" Otto stops mid sentence...

He smiles and closes his eyes. He lets down his guard and drops his gun and lets out a sigh... He reopens his eyes to view a large iron blade piercing his chest. He turns his head around, to meet her eyes. "I'm so sorry Otto..." She removes the blade from his chest and he falls to the ground, lifeless, his trench-coat falls nearby, bloodless.

His short brown hair blowing in the irradiated breeze seems almost as peaceful as the expression on his face. She looks off into the distance, seeing the destruction from a new point of view. "This isn't just the end of the world... This is the end of everything." She shakes her head and kneels down to his body, and deactivates the tracking beacon on his wrist-device. As she rises up she looks at him once more.

"Otto... you killed Blossom...? Something tells me she is important..." She takes his trench-coat and puts it on. "This cannot be allowed to happen Otto, I won't let it." She inputs a sequence into her device and nears the tube of light. She looks back at the entire situation. With the death of Otto, the last human and Time Squad agent has finally left the living world...

She shakes her head and enters the tube and after she is in it, the tube vanishes.

Otto is left in the dead world, with a contented look on his face as the dust endlessly churns...

An hour passes and another man appears. He sits on a rock next to Otto. It's... Otto...? The man wears glasses and has brown hair just like Otto, but he looks much older. He looks at Otto with pity and sadness in his eyes.

"There but for the grace of the gods go me... I'm sorry Otto. I didn't know this would happen, but she is capable of saving the world now." He says with a choked up smile.

"She is capable, I know this much. That's why I chose her. Don't worry, Otto. This world can still be saved. Let them show you." He sits on the rock looking into the black storm. He rubs his eyes.

"Blossom... and Barasia."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _This was the last Sub-Chapter ever made for the first story of The Chronopmetal Wars. All 4 of the Sub-Chapters weren't terribly long, and all put together are barely longer than a regular chapter, but for information's sake, they are very powerful to have. This particular scene serves as a bridge between when Barasia came back from the future to when she went into the past to help Otto with Blossom. Later on in the story, this specific scene may be called upon again._


	15. Epilogue: (Alternate Ending - Peace)

Name: The Chronometal Wars  
Chronometal Epilogue: Peace. (Alternate Ending)

The darkness around Dexter and all the bodies churn and ebb. Large vibrations occur as the darkness is overcome by light!

"Dexter... you have, done well. For a Human of course. The world once again knows the fleeting peace that is common when a worldwide terror is put to rest... All of the Chronometals are destroyed, and the ones that remain are unpowered, simply glorified suits of armor. I however, am truly grateful for the trip we had together, boy. This Ark will serve me well for the years to come. Maybe I can finally achieve my life-long dream... but just remember- the only reason I was even siding with you was due to a deal with Buttercup... a deal I am now unable to collect upon. But it is of little consequence. Next time we meet we may not be so warm with each other... 'hero.' Goodbye for now."

Dexter opens his eyes, viewing the newly clear sky of Megaville. The stars are receding as the sun comes into sight. He looks around, and see's Blossom and Barasia lying beside him. He stumbles to his feet and checks on Blossom, she is breathing... and smiling. She is fine. He turns to Barasia, who now has her eyes open, looking into his.

She rises to a sitting stance, still looking at Dexter. "Wha... What happened in there?" Blossom moans a bit as she wakes up from what seemed like a long nap. She smacks her mouth and rubs her eyes before realizing where she is. "Huh...?! Dexter...?" She slips out, confused.

Dexter smiles slightly, noticing his Chronometal is completely shattered and scattered along with the rest of the rubble. "Dexter! Your Chronometal- ACK! 'My' Chronometal!" Blossom stammers out as she notices even hers is scattered about. "It's over..." Dexter sighs out. "It's finally over everyone..." He rears up and laughs loudly!

"W-What?" Blossom says as she rises from the rubble. "Him told me the Chronometal wars have finally come to an end. Mandark is forever gone and all of the metals we used are unpowered; Deedee's soul as well as Bell's are at rest." Barasia walks off without saying a word, being caught by Blossom.

"Where are you going, Barasia?" - "It's over, there's no reason for me to stay." Blossom scurries off the ground and runs to her and grabs her by the arm- "You can stay with us! You can live in Megaville with us! You don't... have to go..." Barasia gently jostles her hand free of Blossom's grasp.

"I appreciate the sentiment, I really do- but I was to blame for all of this." She looks to the newly blue horizon. "Have you noticed Buttercup isn't here?" - "Well... yeah- after the battle she sort of... um... I- don't remember what happened really... where is she?" - "She was the only one of us with immortality. After the battle she probably instantly awoke before any of us and went to tell the people of Megaville what happened. About what 'I' did..."

Blossom diverts her eyes. "It is fine, Blossom. I didn't even belong here to begin with. I'm just a drifter, I'll find my way through this world." She looks Blossom in the eyes and puts on a bright smile- one Blossom has never witness from her face! "It was from our time together I finally learned the real worth of life... and death. If I was never here I would still be a mindless killing machine... Who knows what might of happened to me if it wasn't for you guys!"

Barasia looks away from Blossom, blushing slightly. "Well, this wishy washy stuff isn't exactly my style... so I guess I'll get going-OOPH!" She stammers as Bubbles flies in from nowhere and hugs Barasia and Blossom together! "OH MY GOD! I am so glad you are all safe and sound!" Bubbles screams out through tears! "I thought... I thought that you would... *Sniff*" After jostling out of her grip, Blossom speaks.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Bubbles. We're fine." - "W-Wait, what happened to your Chronometal?" Blossom looks at the crushed remains of her Metal. "It finally gave out after the Battle. Dexter's too." - "Wait... so that means... we can be a team again? I mean, well... I know I'm not quite as strong as you are, even more-so with the metal, but-"

"That's enough Bubbles." Blossom snaps out, making Bubbles flinch slightly. "Don't you EVER set yourself below anyone ever again. You were as much a part of this conflict as anyone else here! Isn't that right, Barasia?" Barasia nods happily. "More then right, just because you didn't have a Chronometal or Travel through time, does not at all mean you didn't have a gigantic impact on the war itself. Even before I knew what was going on, when we met in Megaville during the Chronometal Prologue, you knew me, before even I knew you. You steered me through the wars in ways I never thought possible. And to top it off, you got everyone- even Otto to safety during a time of great crisis."

Buttercup lands after hearing those words, catching everyone by surprise. "Lynn is absolutely correct Bubbles." She regains her posture and continues, looking into a blushing Bubbles' eyes. "Even with my Immortality, I barely had enough power to fight anyone in this war. Right before World's end was at full power, I couldn't do anything to the Roudyruffs but hold them back before Blossom came and swept them out. I may have been immortal, but that didn't mean I was better... not at all..."

Buttercup shifts her gaze to Barasia. "From what I hear, you played a much bigger role in this then I thought possible, Bubbles, and besides- It was Him that made me Immortal." - "I guess it's time I explained who I was, Buttercup-" - "No need, Lynn... I did a lot of thinking back at the bunker after I told everyone what happened. It doesn't matter who you are, or were, or what you did. What mattered was what you did for us in the end, and during the wars. Weather or not you caused this hardly matters to me anymore, you used your own power to fix it. You are a hero, Lynn."

Dexter walks into the group and nods. "You are a hero, Lynn... but..." Dexter looks around at the people waiting for him to continue before sighing. "These people... the victims of Megaville may not- or will not accept anything but judgment upon you. We who know everything, who were with you are the only ones who really know you- who forgive you." Barasia sadly nods.

"You are right... The people of this city... of this WORLD will view me as a villain, traitor... monster, or something even worse. I am glad I got to help you all save this planet, and indeed all of time, but it came at a devastating cost... a cost I cannot possible pay back the world." She looks up into the sky.

"I'll go traveling across the cosmos, maybe find the Cluster... and finish where I left off of my old life. Not that It will be EXACTLY the same the second time around, in fact it is going to go MUCH differently." She nods to the entire group. "I am Barasia, the Black Justice. I shall uphold the law of life across the galaxy, and end the tyranny of those who would bring evil to the universe!" She coughs a little bit and diverts her eyes.

"That was uh... a bit corny- but you catch my drift." - "No, that was great!" Bubbles sequels! "I've always wanted to be a super awesome hero like that! One who would be feared by all evil-doers, and bring justice to all! I envy you, really!" Barasia looks Dexter in the eyes. "We may not of ever directly met before, Dexter. But I can tell that if it went just a little differently, we could of become great friends. Farewell, all of you."

Barasia fires off into the sky and quickly leaves sight. After that moment Blossom cocks her head and looks at Buttercup. "Wait, where did you go earlier, Buttercup?" - "Oh uh, that? Well..." She scratches her head and looks at the 3 remaining heroes. "Well I went to the bunker to tell the professor about what happened, he spread the word to the people, and I went away for a while..."

She looks to the ground with a slight agitation crossing her face. "I did some serious thinking about Barasia... and about Him... and about Me." She looks at her clothing, and then Blossom gasps slightly- "Your... your clothes are green again!" Buttercup nods somberly.

She raises her head to meet everyone. "There's something about Him I should tell you guys about..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _And that's that. With this alternate ending posted, everything from the first story: The Chronometal Wars, has been successfully moved from Snafu-Comics to Fanfiction. There are, of course, other stories, such as The Chronometal Panic, The Red Story, The Black War, the Barasian War, The Eternal Watcher, The First War, The Second War, and various short stories, but those will make their way over here in due time._

 _This Alternate ending was supposed to be my way of bypassing any potential overarching contradictions posed by PPGD by attempting to, in a small way, bridge PPGD and Grim Tales from Down Below together into the same continuity, led forward by Him being a bad guy afterwords. It wasn't until much later that the writers of both PPGD and GT said that the stories don't actually have anything to do with each other. (Except involving the Powerpuff Girls, Megaville, and various heroes; you can see my confusion) But regardless, the First Story, if you've enjoyed it so far: which I'm happy for, was probably my worst work. The later stories are much, MUCH better (In my opinion). Thanks for reading._


End file.
